THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET
Football Match in Isfahan Cancelled as Al-Ittihad Boycotts Game Due to Soleimani Statue
In a recent sports event, players from Al-Ittihad Saudi Club opted out of a football match at Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium in Isfahan. The reason behind this decision was the presence of a statue depicting the slain IRGC Quds Force slain commander Qasem Soleimani. Consequently, the match between Al-Ittihad and Sepahan was called off. After the match cancellation, supporters of Sepahan expressed their outrage, chanting slogans such as “We want football, not politics.” They urged for the removal of the Soleimani statue with the chant “Take it down!”
Jahan Nasari, the political and security deputy of Isfahan Governorate, addressed the situation, stating, “The match was scheduled for 19:30 today, where Sepahan and Al-Ittihad Saudi Club were set to compete at Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium. Despite Sepahan being present on the field, the Saudi team decided not to partake in the match and vacated the stadium without providing valid reasons.”
According to a report from Saudi’s state-owned news network, Al-Ittihad’s team caravan chose to head to the airport and return to Jeddah. The report indicates that Al-Ittihad will attribute their withdrawal to the presence of political and non-sporting symbols within the stadium.
Al-Ittihad Club issued a statement, explaining their decision, “Due to the presence of Qasem Soleimani’s statue at the entrance tunnel of Naqsh-e Jahan Stadium, we have decided to abstain from participating in the match. We won’t engage in the game until the Soleimani statue is removed.”
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Tehran’s Shrewd Shadow Play
In 2014, as the world’s gaze bore down relentlessly on Iran’s covert nuclear ambitions, Tehran launched a clandestine influence operation known as the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI). Departing from the garish spectacle of conventional propaganda, the IEI sought to manipulate public perceptions discreetly.
The architects were high-ranking figures of Iran’s Foreign Ministry like Saeed Khatibzadeh, whose mission was to cultivate connections with influential academics worldwide, particularly in the U.S. They sought to ensure that Iran’s narratives infiltrated the sanctums of global policy and echoed through media outlets.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CET
Monday Protests in Iran
Today, a gathering of retired telecommunications personnel from various regions including Ahvaz, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Ardabil, Khorramabad, Sari, Shiraz, and more, protested against the regime’s failure to address their demands. These demands encompass the full enforcement of the personnel and hiring regulations from 2010, as well as addressing healthcare insurance issues. Consistent with their routine of holding protest gatherings every Monday, they gathered once more outside the telecommunications company to voice their grievances.
October 2—Tehran, #Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran resume their weekly protests in front of the provincial headquarters of the TCI as the regime ignores their demands.
"We don't want a military CEO," the protesters chant.pic.twitter.com/IIxDcaelRu— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 2, 2023
October 2—Ardabil, northwest #Iran
Retirees of Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) hold protest rally, demanding higher pensions and other basic needs that the regime has denied them #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/huq1OZyQ0F— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 2, 2023
October 2—Shiraz, southern #Iran
Retirees and pensioners of the Telecommunications Company of Iran rally to protest low pensions and poor living conditions.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/0PtRJe1e3B— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 2, 2023
Security Forces Fatally Shoot Courier, Injure Others in Avroman
On October 1, the clerical regime’s border regiment targeted a group of hardworking “kulbars” (weight carriers or couriers) in the border region of Avroman, fatally shooting one and injuring several others. This incident occurred in the border strip near the village of “Darki” in Avroman. The identities of the killed and injured couriers are currently unknown. According to statistics shared on social media, for the first six months of the year 1402 on the Persian calendar (March 2023- March 2024), a total of 85 couriers have lost their lives or suffered injuries in border areas and transit routes between the provinces of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. These incidents were a result of factors such as direct gunfire from the regime’s military forces, severe winter conditions, landmine accidents, falls from mountains and heights, and other similar circumstances.
Iran Official Admits Country’s Role in Terror Bombing That Killed 241 US Military Members: Report
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s representative in Lebanon issued the first public announcement of the Iranian regime’s role in the mass murder of American military and diplomatic personnel in the early 1980s in Beirut.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) first located and translated the bombshell interview with Sayyed Issa Tabatabai, who serves as the representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Lebanon. The state-controlled Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) quickly scrubbed the damning disclosure that Tabatabai made about Iran’s role in the suicide bombings of Americans, but MEMRI preserved a copy.
Iran and its chief strategic ally, the U.S.-designated terrorist movement Hezbollah, in Lebanon have been blamed for bombing the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983 in which 63 people, including 17 Americans, were murdered, and dual suicide truck bombers blew up the barracks of American and French members of a multinational force in Lebanon in 1983, in which 220 U.S. Marines, 18 U.S. Navy sailors and 3 U.S. Army soldiers lost their lives. Fifty-eight French troops were also murdered in the terrorist attack.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iran: Strikes and Protests Continue on Anniversary of the Bloody Friday Massacre
Despite massive security measures in different cities of Sistan and Baluchestan province, Iran’s regime failed to prevent protests on the anniversary of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday massacre, where security forces killed over 100 civilians, including more than a dozen children.
On Saturday morning, strikes were reported in several cities, including Zahedan, Saravan, Chabahar, and Nimruz.
Iran’s Quasi-Government Companies: A Growing Challenge to the Nation’s Economy
Iran’s quasi-government companies, neither truly public nor private, are proliferating annually, posing an unprecedented challenge to the country’s economy. While initially created as a means to evade sanctions, these entities have gradually evolved into a problem for Iran’s economic stability. Ahmadreza Dastgheib, the head of the country’s audit bureau, recently disclosed the latest status of these quasi-government companies, stating, “To date, we’ve identified approximately two thousand quasi-government companies, and measures to address them have commenced.”
It’s worth noting that this figure doesn’t encompass the total number of such companies, as many have been established more recently.
Mahboubeh Bigdeli, Mother of Two children, Is Arrested
Mahboubeh Bigdeli, a mother of two children, was arrested at the Prosecutor’s Office of Gachsaran in southwestern Iran.
Mahboubeh Bigdeli had been summoned to report to the 3rd Branch of the Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday, September 30, 2023, but she was arrested upon arrival. She is accused of disseminating “propaganda against the state.”
Mahboubeh Bigdeli was also arrested last year during the nationwide uprising. She was released in February 2023 after the regime granted general amnesty to some 80,000 prisoners on the anniversary of the 1979 Revolution.
St. Gallen, Switzerland—September 29, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Photo Exhibition in Commemoration of the Martyrs of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday
St. Gallen, Switzerland—September 29, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a photo exhibition in commemoration of the martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday. They also expressed solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Copenhagen, Denmark—September 29, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Commemoration of the Martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday
Copenhagen, Denmark—September 29, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in commemoration of the martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday. They also expressed solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 1, 2023
