{"id":348873,"date":"2026-10-20T06:29:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T05:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=348873"},"modified":"2026-10-20T18:57:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T17:57:19","slug":"iran-news-in-brief-october-20-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-news-in-brief-october-20-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran News in Brief \u2013 October 20, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"
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On October 17, 2026, NCRI supporters held a rally in Toronto, Canada, to condemn executions in Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

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

Two Men Re-Arrested in RAF Fairford Investigation on Suspicion of Assisting Iran<\/h3>\n

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Counter Terrorism Policing re-arrested the two men on Tuesday as part of the investigation into activity near RAF<\/a><\/strong> Fairford in Gloucestershire last month.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old UK national and 25-year-old dual UK and Iranian<\/a><\/strong> national, both from the borough of Westminster, London, were arrested on suspicion of assisting a foreign intelligence service.<\/p>\n

The country to which the investigation relates is Iran, police said.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old man was initially arrested<\/a><\/strong> on 27 September near RAF Fairford and the 25-year-old was later arrested on 1 October in Westminster, central London.<\/p>\n

Five other UK nationals in their mid-20s were arrested after the incident, all of whom remain on police bail.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 3:00 PM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

UN Rapporteur Leopoldo Maldonado Joins Hunger Strike for Iran<\/h1>\n

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The United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression, Leopoldo Maldonado, began a 24-hour hunger strike in solidarity with political prisoners in Iran.\u00a0The action is part of the #NoToExecutionTuesdays campaign, through which various prisoners are protesting the Iranian regime\u2019s use of the death penalty. Maldonado described the scale of the politically motivated use of the death penalty in the country as alarming. According to data from Amnesty International cited by the rapporteur, at least 2,159 executions were recorded in 2025, the highest annual figure documented since 1981.<\/p>\n

In addition, so far in 2026, at least 34 people have been executed in connection with the January protests, while at least 46 executions of political prisoners and protesters have been recorded since March 19, 2026. More than 100 death sentences remain in force.<\/p>\n

The UN official denounced the use of offenses such as baghi<\/em> (armed rebellion), moharebeh<\/em> (enmity against God), and efsad-e fel-arz<\/em> (corruption on earth) to criminalize protest and political expression. After noting that around 30,000 political prisoners were executed or disappeared in 1988 in events described as crimes against humanity, Maldonado urged the Iranian authorities to immediately halt executions, commute death sentences, and guarantee fair trials.<\/p>\n

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

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Iranian Regime\u2019s New Defense Minister Brings a Long Record in Missile Development<\/h3>\n

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WASHINGTON, October 19, 2026 \u2013 The Iranian regime\u2019s parliament approved Mehrdad Akhlaghi Ketabchi as defense minister<\/a> on October 18, elevating a longtime missile-industry official as the regime confronts setbacks, economic pressure and continuing domestic dissent. Lawmakers confirmed him by a vote of 237 to 15. His appointment follows months of interim leadership after former regime defense minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was killed during the war.\u00a0Akhlaghi\u2019s elevation brings to the cabinet an official whose involvement in the regime\u2019s weapons-production apparatus has been documented for nearly two decades.<\/p>\n

In May 2009, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) identified<\/a> Akhlaghi Ketabchi as the Revolutionary Guard commander heading Bakeri Missile Industries Group. Citing information from the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK<\/a>), the NCRI<\/a> described Bakeri as a principal manufacturer of the solid-fuel Sejil 2 missile at the Khojir complex east of Tehran. The statement also noted his inclusion in UN and U.S. sanctions measures.<\/p>\n

The NCRI\u2019s U.S. Representative Office (NCRI-US<\/a>) later identified him as commander of the Aerospace Industries Organization in its June 2017 report on the regime\u2019s accelerating missile program<\/a>. That report described an organization overseeing eight industrial groups responsible for liquid- and solid-fuel missiles, cruise missiles, air-defense weapons, components and guidance systems.<\/p>\n

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

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UPDATE: 7:00 AM CEST<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s Teacher Shortage Exposes a Deeper Crisis in Public Education<\/h3>\n

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As Iran opened its schools for the 2026\u20132027 academic year, approximately 16.5 million students were expected to attend, but the country\u2019s education system faced a glaring problem: it lacked tens of thousands of teachers. The regime\u2019s education minister Alireza Kazemi acknowledged a deficit of about 90,000 teachers, leaving schools to cope with shortages in classrooms across the country.\u00a0An October 15 report in the state-run Ettelaat<\/em> newspaper attributed the persistent shortage to inadequate planning\u2014an indictment of the regime\u2019s education policy after nearly five decades in power.<\/p>\n

Citing a researcher at Iran\u2019s Institute for Education Studies, Ettelaat<\/em> acknowledged that the shortage has persisted for at least a decade. Yet successive administrations have failed to recruit and retain enough qualified personnel.<\/p>\n

Even the extent of the deficit is disputed. While Kazemi puts it at 90,000, the Islamshahr Teachers\u2019 Association has estimated the shortage at between 100,000 and 130,000 for the current academic year.<\/p>\n

For students, these figures translate into overcrowded classrooms, disrupted instruction, and unequal access to qualified educators. The continued shortage raises an unavoidable question: how can a government that has known about the problem for ten years still lack a sustainable solution?<\/p>\n

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

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From a Strategic Paradigm Shift to a Vanguard Movement<\/h3>\n

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The period between October 18 and October 22 marks a pivotal milestone in the history of the Iranian Resistance movement, representing a strategic, cultural, and political transformation in the struggle against religious fundamentalism. On October 18, 1989, Maryam Rajavi assumed the leadership of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) as its Secretary-General.<\/p>\n

Four years later, on August 28, 1993, the National Council of Resistance of Iran<\/a> (NCRI) elected her as the President-elect for the transitional period of transferring sovereignty to the Iranian people, a decision officially made public on October 22, 1993.<\/p>\n

This sequence of events initiated an unprecedented historical trajectory that shattered the traditional barriers of gender discrimination<\/a> and positioned women at the forefront of the revolutionary movement against the misogynistic clerical regime in Tehran.<\/p>\n

Maryam Rajavi\u2019s assumption of leadership within the PMOI in October 1989 was a direct challenge to the fundamentalist ideology of the ruling mullahs. Built upon decades of sacrifice by tens of thousands of women<\/a> who had endured torture and execution under both the Shah\u2019s dictatorship and the clerical regime, this decision marked an affirmative strategy to unleash the potential of women as the primary force for democratic change.<\/p>\n

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

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Poverty in Iran: How Economic Mismanagement and Political Power Are Eroding Living Standards<\/h3>\n

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Poverty in Iran has become more than a question of household income. It reflects a deeper crisis in the relationship between political power, national resources, and the living conditions of ordinary citizens.<\/p>\n

Figures cited in recent reporting point to a sharp deterioration in living standards. According to figures attributed to the head of Iran\u2019s State Welfare Organization, the poverty rate rose from approximately 20 percent before 2018 to 40 percent in 2024. The same reporting estimates that around 34 million people are living in extreme poverty. These figures do not capture every dimension of deprivation, but they indicate the scale of the pressure on Iranian households.<\/p>\n

External sanctions, restrictions on trade, and military tensions have imposed substantial costs on Iran\u2019s economy. Reduced access to investment, difficulties in conducting financial transactions, and higher import costs have constrained businesses and employment. War and uncertainty have added further obstacles to investment and economic stability.<\/p>\n

Yet these pressures alone cannot explain the persistence and depth of the crisis.<\/p>\n

The fundamental question remains: Why has a country with extensive oil and gas resources failed to provide lasting economic security for so much of its population?<\/p>\n

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

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Former Iranian Academic Testifies to SAVAK Torture, Rejects Choice Between Shah and Mullahs<\/h3>\n

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Mohammad Ali Elahi, a former assistant professor of mathematics at Mashhad University and survivor of torture under Iran\u2019s former monarchy, delivered a powerful testimony at the Berlin conference \u201cThe Crisis in Iran and the Democratic Solution.\u201d He described the abuses committed by the Shah\u2019s secret police, SAVAK, and argued that the repression of democratic activists helped pave the way for the 1979 revolution to be seized by Ruhollah Khomeini.<\/p>\n

Elahi also condemned the decision to award the 2026 Freedom Prize on behalf of the Iranian people to Reza Pahlavi, the son of the deposed Shah, saying the move disregards the suffering of the former dictatorship\u2019s victims.<\/p>\n

Elahi recalled that armed SAVAK agents abducted him from his workplace in 1972 because he distributed leaflets, books, and publications of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK).<\/p>\n

Blindfolded and taken to a SAVAK prison, he endured 25 days of torture, including repeated beatings with a whip. The beatings caused severe infections in his feet, resulting in the loss of all his left toenails. He was also burned with cigarettes, leaving scars on his right thigh that remain visible.<\/p>\n

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

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Iran\u2019s Real Per Capita Income Fell More Than 46% Since 2011 as Turkey\u2019s Rose About 70%<\/h3>\n

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Latest figures released in Iran show that liquidity growth and year-on-year inflation declined slightly in September, but prices remained more than 83% higher than a year earlier, while real per capita income has also fallen sharply compared with 2011.<\/p>\n

Iran\u2019s economy continues to face extremely high inflation<\/a>, declining purchasing power<\/a> and limited resources despite a slowdown in liquidity growth<\/a> in recent months, a situation that has simultaneously pushed President Masoud Pezeshkian\u2019s government toward a combination of monetary policies, fuel price changes and expanded livelihood support.<\/p>\n

Abdolnaser Hemmati<\/a>, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, has said that year-on-year liquidity growth fell from 56.4% in June 2026 to 54.4% in August and 51.6% at the end of September. Year-on-year inflation in September was also reported at 83.8%, compared with 84.4% in August.<\/p>\n

These figures indicate a slowdown in the growth rates of the two indicators, not a decline in price levels. According to the same data, the volume of liquidity was still more than 51% higher than a year earlier, while the general price level remained more than 83% above its level in September last year.<\/p>\n

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

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Vancouver Rally Condemns Executions in Iran and Calls for Release of Political Prisoners<\/h3>\n

Vancouver, Canada \u2014 October 17, 2026 \u2014 Supporters of the People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK<\/a>) held a rally and photo exhibition in Vancouver to condemn executions in Iran, commemorate victims of the nationwide uprising, and highlight the cases of political prisoners and protesters at risk of execution.<\/p>\n

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Vancouver Rally Condemns Executions in Iran and Calls for Release of Political Prisoners \u2013 Oct 17\u20131<\/div><\/div>