THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:30 PM
Hitman Who Tried to Murder Alejo Vidal-Quadras Has Been Arrested in the Netherlands
Dutch agents have arrested the alleged perpetrator of the shooting of Alejo Vidal-Quadras in Madrid. An arrest warrant had been issued by the National Court, marking the sixth arrest in the investigation conducted by the General Police Information Commissariat, as explained by the National Police in a tweet.
The shooter, Mehrez Ayari, 37, is a French citizen of Tunisian origin with multiple records in France, his country of residence.
A month and a half ago, the Security Forces of the Netherlands also arrested a woman in connection with the financing and preparation of the attack on the Spanish politician. Since the investigation began, a total of six people have been arrested as alleged culprits or accomplices in the assassination attempt.
Canada Designates Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps As Terrorist Entity
Canada is designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian Armed Forces, as a terrorist organization under this country’s Criminal Code, Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc announced. This will affect the organization’s ability to raise funds or own property in Canada but will also restrict entry into the country by those who have served in the organization.
Thousands of senior Iranian government officials are now banned from entering the country and those already inside Canada may be investigated and removed, Mr. LeBlanc said.
“This action sends a strong message that Canada will use all of the tools at its disposal to combat the terrorist entity of the IRGC,” Mr. LeBlanc said. “The Iranian regime has consistently displayed disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order. Our government will ensure that there is no immunity for Iran’s unlawful actions and its support of terrorism. “
UPDATE: 12:00 PM
Representative Lawler Leads Bipartisan Letter of Over 40 Colleagues Urging Implementation of New Iranian Oil Sanctions
Yesterday, Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY-17), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05), and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23) led a bipartisan letter, signed by more than three dozen of their colleagues from both parties, urging the Biden Administration to implement new sanctions on Iranian petroleum.
Last year, Representatives Lawler and Moskowitz introduced the SHIP Act requiring the imposition of sanctions on foreign ports and refineries that knowingly process Iranian oil. In addition to this bill, Representatives Lawler and Gottheimer introduced the Iran-China Energy Sanctions Act, which requires the imposition of sanctions on Chinese financial institutions that process transactions involving Iranian oil. Both bills passed the House with overwhelming bipartisan support, were incorporated into the most recent supplemental national security package, and became law when President Biden signed that legislation on April 24th.
US Military Says It Destroyed 9 Houthi Drones In Past 24 Hours
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said Tuesday that it destroyed eight Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen in the past 24 hours.
“Additionally, partner forces successfully destroyed one Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) over the Gulf of Aden, CENTCOM said on X, adding there were no reported injuries or damage. It said the systems presented an “imminent threat” to US and coalition forces and merchant vessels in the region. The Pentagon said Tuesday that the Houthis have failed to deter the US and the international community from continuing to operate in the Red Sea.
“They’ve conducted over 190 attacks, the vast majority of which have been knocked down thanks to US and international efforts to help safeguard shipping and the lives of mariners through operations,” spokesman Pat Ryder told reporters.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM
Iranian Regime Officials Admit The PMOI Is Their Main Threat
As the Iranian regime’s factions compete for the upcoming elections, the candidates inevitably acknowledge the reality of regime’s main issue: In the past 45 years, the main confrontation has been between the PMOI and the Iranian Resistance on the one side and the mullahs’ regime on the other. In an interview with state television on June 13, Mostafa Pourmohammadi, one of those responsible for the 1988 massacre of political prisoners, whose presence in these elections to fill the void left by Ebrahim Raisi has its own special meaning, in his campaign programs, while trying to remind regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei of the service he did for the regime by massacring the PMOI, inadvertently pointed to the main issue: “I was appointed as the revolutionary prosecutor in June 1981. After that, a major mission, a major case was assigned to us in Tehran… In the last year of the war, which was 1988, there were continuous operations, the last of which was Eternal Light (Forugh Javidan). The PMOI wanted to conquer Tehran and take control. That year, according to them, they captured 2,300 of our soldiers, officers, and Basijis at the front and took them to their independent camp.”
Iran’s Eroding Resources under The Rule of The Mullahs
The history of oil-rich countries has shown that this energy resource, in the hands of despotic and anti-development rulers, turns into a curse. Iran, with its two reactionary dictatorships, serves as a lesson for others. In such countries, oil money leads to corruption, rulers’ extravagance, military adventures, and persistent instability. It’s no surprise that oil money fills the pockets of ruling gangs, keeps the poor in poverty, increases the gap between the poor and the newly wealthy class, and is spent on showy projects instead of welfare and progress.
The Iranian regime has laid waste to the country’s resources to the point that experts say squandering such underground reserves and human capital requires special skills.
Iran’s Rebellious Youth Defy Regime’s Repression Following Death of President Ebrahim Raisi
The Iranian regime continues to reel in the aftermath of the death of its president, Ebrahim Raisi, notoriously known to Iran’s people as the “Butcher of Tehran” for his role in the execution of tens of thousands of dissidents. As the regime grapples with this significant loss, it has intensified its repressive measures against workers, teachers, retirees, and all segments of society in a desperate attempt to maintain control. However, the people are fighting back. Iran’s rebellious youths are responding to the regime’s oppression with courageous acts targeting the regime’s centers and symbols of repression, corruption, and propaganda.
On June 4, rebellious youths set fire to images of Raisi in multiple cities, including Borujerd, Rasht, Shiraz, and Mashhad, in response to the murder of a Kurdish porter (kolbar) in Sarasht, Kurdistan province, by regime security forces. Kolbars, impoverished people who carry loads across borders to make a meager living, often face brutal crackdowns from the regime. The regime’s security forces often open fire on them in border areas. Every year dozens get killed and injured as they attempt to provide for their families.
Iran’s Dangerous Embrace of Terrorist Proxies
The United States has once again taken decisive action against Iran’s nefarious network of proxy forces, designating several individuals and entities that facilitate weapons procurement and funding for the Houthi rebels in Yemen and the Iran-backed militia Harakat Ansar Allah al-Awfiya in Iraq. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has targeted key actors who have enabled the Houthis to generate revenue and acquire materials to manufacture advanced weaponry used in ongoing terrorist attacks against commercial ships.
Since November 2023, the Houthis have deployed unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles to attack merchant vessels and their crews in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, killing innocent civilians and threatening global freedom of navigation.
The Alarming Rise of Desertification in Iran
Desertification is one of Iran’s most critical environmental issues, reaching alarming proportions in recent years due to human activities and climate change. Iran accounts for 1.2% of the world’s dry land and 3.08% of the world’s desert areas. Iran’s deserts span 32.5 million hectares, but the entire country is affected by desertification. Over the past decade, areas impacted by wind erosion have increased by 30%. Each year, one million hectares of desert are created in Iran. At this rate, considering Iran’s total area of 1,648,196 square kilometers, the country could become a complete desert within the next 164 years.
Desertification, driven by both natural and unnatural factors, now covers large areas of Iran with increasing speed. This phenomenon has led to decreased soil fertility and land degradation in forests, wetlands, deserts, and agricultural lands. Over the past decade, areas affected by wind erosion have grown from 20 to 30 million hectares. Critical areas have expanded from 7 to 13 million hectares, causing significant damage to biological, social, and economic resources.
IAEA: Iran’s Regime Capable of Producing Latest Generation of Centrifuges
Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that since the signing of the JCPOA in 2015, Tehran’s nuclear program has significantly developed. According to Rafael Grossi, the Iranian regime is capable of producing the latest generation of centrifuges, building new facilities, and taking actions far beyond these. In an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia published on Monday, June 17, Grossi emphasized that the Iranian regime is not considered a completely reliable actor on the international stage and the world is suspicious of Tehran’s nuclear activities.
His remarks come a few days after the Board of Governors approved a resolution proposed by Britain, France, and Germany, known as the Troika, regarding Tehran’s nuclear program with 20 votes in favor, 12 abstentions, and 2 votes against.
Morality Police Continues to Patrol the Streets of Iran
The broadcast of the violent arrests of two women by the Morality Police on Sunday, June 16, on social media has brought the suppression of women under the pretext of mandatory hijab to the forefront of discussions among social media users. This coincides with the candidates of the upcoming presidential elections avoiding responsibility and their history of supporting the Morality Police and hijab enforcers.
In videos circulating on social media, Iranian women in Tehran are seen being violently taken into police vans by the Morality Police. These images quickly spread among social media users, sparking their anger and protests against what they see as an “election show.”
Iran’s Water Resources Enough for Only 50 Million People, Even with Rainfall
Mohammad Jafar Nazem Al-Sadat, head of the Center for Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences Research at Shiraz University, says that even if the average rainfall in the country returns to normal levels, Iran’s water resources will only suffice for “between 40 to 50 million people.”
On Sunday, June 9, Mohammad Jafar Nazem Al-Sadat, mentioned that some provinces of Iran experienced near-normal rainfall this year and told the ILNA News Agency: “Approaching the average rainfall is for a situation where the country’s population was between 40 to 50 million, and now with double the population, even if the rainfall is within normal ranges, it is not sufficient.”
Iran’s Hostage Diplomacy Leads to Release of Notorious Criminal Hamid Noury
The Iranian government’s ransom and hostage-taking diplomacy led to the release of a dangerous criminal. Hamid Nouri was involved in the mass murder of political prisoners in the 1980s. The release of Hamid Nouri, a torturer and killer of political prisoners, following a prisoner exchange deal with Sweden, has sparked a wave of anger and despair among the Iranian exile community, especially those who survived the mass executions of 1988.
The Bild website, on June 15, 2024, in an article titled “Sweden hands over the perpetrator of the massacre to Iran,” reacted to hostage-taking diplomacy. Bild quotes a political and Iranian affairs expert: “A political affairs expert in an interview with Bild called this action one of the lowest points in European history. He also considered Sweden’s action a horrifying signal from a morally corrupt European perspective that betrays its basic law and human rights.”
Copenhagen, Denmark—June 17, 2024: Iranian Resistance Supporters Rally in Front of Swedish Embassy to Denounce Shameful Sweden-Mullahs’ Regime Deal
Copenhagen, Denmark—June 17, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a protest rally in front of the Swedish embassy to denounce the shameful deal between Sweden and the mullahs’ regime for releasing Hamid Noury, a criminal executioner of the mullahs’ regime involved in the 1988 Massacre.
Berlin, June 17, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition and Call for Participation in #BerlinDemo29June
Berlin, Germany—June 17, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) continued to set up an exhibition to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. They also protested against the increasing wave of executions carried out by the Iranian regime.
Germany—June 17, 2024: MEK Supporters in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Aachen: Call for Participation in the #BerlinDemo29June
Germany—June 17, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) in Berlin, Düsseldorf, and Aachen are organizing exhibitions and distributing posters and flyers to invite all Iranians to participate in the great gathering of Free Iran on June 29. They also recorded video messages to endorse Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for Iran’s future.
Oslo, Norway—June 17, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally to Denounce Shameful Sweden-Mullahs’ Regime Deal
Oslo, Norway—June 17, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a protest rally to denounce the shameful deal between Sweden and the mullahs’ regime for releasing Hamid Noury, a criminal executioner of the mullahs’ regime involved in the 1988 Massacre.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – June 18, 2024
