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UPDATE: 2:00 PM CET
Free Iran World Summit 2023: Onward to a Democratic Republic
Tens of thousands of Iranians rallied in Paris on 1st July 2023 to support the ongoing uprising in Iran and the establishment of a democratic republic. The rally coincided with the Free Iran World Summit 2023, held at the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) headquarters in Auvers-sur-Oise, France. Over 500 prominent political figures, including lawmakers, former presidents, prime ministers, ministers, and senior officials from the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, attended the Summit, along with distinguished MEPs. The event was a powerful show of support for the Iranian people’s democratic aspirations.
The Free Iran World Summit and the Paris rally on 1st July 2023 held notable significance due to their successful execution despite the Iranian regime’s attempts to thwart them. In an effort to halt these events, the Iranian regime attempted to strike deals with Western nations. It even resorted to bargaining over European hostages it had in custody, but these attempts proved unsuccessful.
UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET
European Official: EU Likely To Keep Missile Sanctions on Iran
WASHINGTON, July 18 (Reuters) – A European official on Tuesday said he expected no difficulty persuading EU nations to maintain ballistic missile sanctions on Iran that are due to expire in October.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also said he sees a window of opportunity by the end of 2023 to try to negotiate a de-escalatory nuclear deal with Iran.
“We may have a small window of opportunity to try to resume discussions with them on (a) return to the JCPOA or at least to an agreement of de-escalation … before the end of the year,” the official told reporters in Washington.
Iranian People Won’t Live Under Brutal, Oppressive Regime Sitting in Tehran
Mr. Mike Pompeo, the 70th US Secretary of State, was among the outstanding speakers at the 2023 World Summit in Iran. According to Gununsesi.info, the event was held at the headquarters of Iran’s National Resistance Council (NCRI) in Auvers-sur-Oise on the outskirts of Paris, at the same time as a grand rally was held in the French capital that drew thousands of Iranian and Iranian Opposition supporters. Pompeo said that the leadership of the Iranian National Council of Resistance is laying the foundation for a free, sovereign, and democratic republic in Iran.
“I also want to take a minute to acknowledge the courage and selflessness of so many Iranians. I met some of them who had left the country. For 10 months since last September, I have watched these protesters protest the brutality of the regime. For 10 months now their cry has been heard around the world. They need to know, and you have to know that the Iranian people who are listening to this within the country today know that you continue to be heard around the world,” Mr. Pompeo said.
We Must Get Tough on Iran Before It Is Too Late
Pierre Mendès-France’s dictum, to govern is to choose, stemmed from experience. War-hardened leaders knew that indecision meant more than failure to act: it broadcast disastrous weakness. Modern governments have forgotten this lesson. Can we relearn it? We have shown strength of purpose over Ukraine. But we have an equally strong national security interest in the Middle East and North Africa, Europe’s dysfunctional near abroad, where Britain has important equities and strong friendships.
Iran lies at the heart of Middle Eastern instability and conflict. It also seeks to spread disorder globally – including in the United Kingdom. We have tolerated this far too long. This is why I have co-authored with Air Marshal Edward Stringer a new report for Policy Exchange advocating a new, more robust approach.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Retirees Protest in Several Cities as Iran’s Regime Ignores Their Demands
Retired government employees and pensioners held protest rallies in several cities across Iran on Monday and Tuesday as their living conditions continue to deteriorate under the corrupt rule of the mullahs. Rallies were reported in Yazd, Karaj, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Shiraz, Qazvin, Hamedan, and other cities. In Shiraz, retired government employees hold protest rallies in front of the provincial offices of the state-run retirement fund to reiterate their demands for higher pensions and basic rights. They held placards that read, “No to injustice.”
In the past few years, retirees across Iran have been protesting their deteriorating living conditions, especially as the government refuses to adjust their pensions based on the inflation rate and fluctuations in the price of the rial, Iran’s national currency. The price of most basic goods has spiked severalfold while pensioners continue to receive the same stipends as before.
Hagerty, Rubio, Colleagues Demand End To Chinese Funding Abuses in Iran
NASHVILLE, TN—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL), along with six other Senate Republican colleagues, in sending a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen urging the development of a strategy to counter Iran’s petrochemical industry as well as rising global sales and shipments of illicit Iranian oil. The Senators requested the secretaries impose sanctions against Chinese individuals and entities that continue to purchase, refine, or otherwise deal in Iranian-origin oil and petrochemicals.
Iran: Picierno (PD), ‘Solidarity With Ambassador Perrone, Convocation Is a Reckless Choice’
Rome, 14 Jul. (Adnkronos) – “The summoning of Italian Ambassador Giuseppe Perrone to Tehran represents a new and further hostile act of the Iranian regime against democracies. It is a reckless and, at the same time, provocative choice. The president of the National Council for Iranian Resistance, Maryam Rajavi, was invited by the Luigi Einaudi Foundation to express her thoughts freely and normally. A concept that is dramatically unknown in Iran, given that those who express their opinions are regularly imprisoned, tortured, and killed. I express my closeness and solidarity with Perrone and reiterate the importance of building a common front in the international community that guarantees support to those who rebel against this bloody regime”. This was stated in a note by Pina Picierno, Vice-President of the European Parliament and MEP of the Democratic Party.
Kowkab Badaghi Is Temporarily Dismissed From Teaching
Kowkab Badaghi, a high school teacher in the city of Izeh, Khuzestan Province, was temporarily dismissed from her job for one month by the appeals board for dealing with administrative violations of employees. The appeals board issued its verdict on July 18 and informed Kowkab Badaghi of its ruling. The Revolutionary Court of Ahvaz held the trial for 11 members of the Educators’ Guild in Khuzestan on Saturday, June 17, 2023. The 11 teachers, Kowkab Badaghi, Zohreh Bakhtiari, Pirooz Nami, Siamak Sadeghi Chehrazi, Shahriar Shirvani Nia, Emad Rafii-nejad, Ali Karoushati, Moein Zargani, Sadegh Naseri, Eqbal Tamoradi, and Behnia Bahmaei-nejad, are accused of “engaging in propaganda activities against the regime and membership in groups aiming at undermining national security.”
Ministry Of Labor: 57% Of Population Suffering From Malnutrition
An official from the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare has issued a warning about the “malnutrition” of the Iranian people, presenting new statistics that suggest a “humanitarian disaster” is unfolding in the country. Hadi Mousavi Nik, the Director General of Social Welfare Studies at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, said that 57 percent of the Iranian population suffers from malnutrition and does not receive the required 2,100 calories per day. The official’s remarks were published on news website 90eghtesadi on July 10. He added that this number of calories is the minimum daily requirement for humans, which the World Bank considers for refugees in refugee camps.
MEK Supporters Held Rallies in Support of the Iran Revolution in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Gothenburg, and Malmö—July 15, 2023
July 15, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in solidarity with the Iran Revolution in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Gothenburg, and Malmö.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 18, 2023
