THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CEST
No to Iranian Regime, Yes to Iraqi People’s Will, Protestors Chant in Baghdad and Karbala
The Iraqi people in Baghdad and the southern provinces protested against the political stalemate in the country over the formation of a new government as well as the interference of the Iranian regime and its mercenaries in the political process.
In the rally in Baghdad, the protestors rejected both the Tehran-backed ‘Framework of Coordination’, led by former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Sadrist Movement. They announced their support for a government that represents the will of the Iraqi people.
“Carrying photos of the martyrs of the October Uprising, demonstrators called for the trial of the perpetrators of the massacre in Iraq,” Al-Arab reported on April 16. “They chanted slogans against the Iranian regime and its mercenaries, calling for an end to corruption and political stalemate in the formation of the government.”
Rafedin TV reported: “During their demonstration on Friday, demonstrators in Karbala chanted slogans against the ruling parties: ‘Yes, yes to Iraq, no, no to the parties.”
UPDATE: 3:00 PM CEST
IRGC Killed 16-Year-Young Boy and Wounded Three Others in Southeast Iran
According to local sources, the Revolutionary Guards in Nikshahr, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, attacked the village of Zirakabad, killing one person and injuring three others in the area.
According to this report, the notorious IRGC commander Mohammad Raisi, known as Januk, the head of one of the IRGC bases, has personally shot a 16-year-old named Afshin Mirblouch and killed this innocent young man. Another person, Yasser Balochzehi, and two other villagers were wounded in the shooting. Dozens of military vehicles have surrounded the village of Zirakabad and guards have opened fire on the villagers.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CEST
Khamenei Tied Official Threatens To Close Strait of Hormuz
In a column on April 15, Hossein Shariatmadari a confidant of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader and the editor in chief of Kayhan newspaper wrote: “Some reports indicate that we are going to be paid $7 billion by South Korea in exchange for the release of three veteran spies who jointly serve the US, the British intelligence services and Israel. In other words, under the pretext of US sanctions, South Korea has blocked $7 billion of our assets that were in exchange for our oil sales. And now the triangle of America, Britain, and Israel are demanding the release of three spies as a reward in order to give our money back.”
Referring to his own hypothesis and calling it the “enemies’ extortion”, this former state’s interrogator added: “Nearly eight years ago, we wrote in a column that if we were to be barred from exporting our oil, there was no reason why other countries should be able to export theirs. Citing the two international conventions of Geneva and Jamaica, we have stated that closing the Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers or carriers of commercial goods and even weapons is an inalienable and legal right for Iran.”
“Under the 1958 Geneva Conventions and the 1982 Jamaica Conventions, the Islamic Republic of Iran has the right and is able to close the Strait of Hormuz to all oil tankers and even ships if it sees its national interests at risk,” Shariatmadari stressed.
Biden Should Listen to the Generals on Iran Deal
Finally, some common sense: In an open letter to President Joe Biden, 46 retired generals and admirals this week denounced the ongoing Iran deal negotiations.
“In Ukraine, we are bearing witness to the horrors of a country ruthlessly attacking its neighbor and, by brandishing its nuclear weapons, forcing the rest of the world largely to stand on the sidelines,” they noted.
UPDATE: 11:00 AM CEST
Iran’s Roads, Quick Path to Death
An Iranian regime’s Crisis Management Organization report says every year, 17,000 people are killed, 250,000 are injured and 25,000 are disabled on Iranian roads.
According to the state-run Setareh Sob website, the head of the Crisis Management Organization believes these astronomical figures are imposing a heavy burden in terms of rehabilitation and other costs. According to the country’s welfare organization, traffic accidents are a social problem, and unfortunately, Iran ranks high in terms of the number of accidents and deaths. According to the source, traffic accidents are one of the major causes of disability, especially spinal cord injuries in the country.
Water Pollution Reported due to Copper Mining in Kerman Province, Central Iran
“The amount of arsenic in the water of some areas of Kerman province, where there is copper mining activity, has passed the allowable limits 12 times,” Mohammad Reza Poorebrahimi, a member of the Iranian regime’s parliament says.
Results of a study published on a website called “Publication of Scientific Research” showed toxic effluents from copper mining pollution of alluvial aquifers in the Rafsanjan plains in Kerman province as well as toxic substances such as arsenic, nitrate, lead, and cadmium in dangerous volumes which endanger the health of the local population.
A study published in the Tehran-based “Environmental Science” journal has also highlighted the worrying increase in toxic substances in the aquifers that are close to the Sarcheshmeh mine in the same province.
Drone Attacks HQ Belonging to Tehran-backed Iraqi Militants in Mosul, Northern Iraq
The state-run Fars news agency reported on April 15: “The Nineveh Operations Command of the Al-Hashd al-Shabi organization (an Iraqi paramilitary group that is run by the Iranian regime’s IRGC Quds Force) reported an unidentified drone bombed its headquarters of the 78th Regiment west of Mosul.”
“An Iraqi media outlet quoted a security source as saying that the deputy commander of the 78th Brigade was wounded in the attack. The drone returned to the Iraqi Kurdistan region,” Fars claimed.
Protesting Eight Years Judicial Indecision, Prisoner in Northwest Iran Commits Sets Himself on Fire
A prisoner from Maku, West Azerbaijan Province, who was being held in the city’s central prison, set himself on fire in protest of the prison official’s failure to address his case.
On Wednesday, April 13, a prisoner identified as the 38-year-old Mohammad Darafshi in Maku Central Prison committed suicide, protesting eight years of judicial indecision. According to his fellow inmates, his physical condition is reported to be critical. A local website said that Mohammad Darfashi committed self-immolation after going on a week-long hunger strike and prison officials still ignored his demands.
No Iranian Funds Were Released, US Confirms
At a news conference on Thursday, State Department spokesman Ned Price denied reports about providing sanctions relief to the Iranian regime, adding that there was no progress in the nuclear talks.
The US State Department spokesman pointed to false reports of the release of Tehran’s frozen funds, making clear that US partners had not provided the funds to the regime, that Iranian funds held in blocked accounts in third countries had not been released and the United States has not issued any authorization or approval to transfer money to Iran.
On Monday, Iranian state media quoted Saeed Khatibzadeh, spokesman for the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as saying that “part of Iran’s resources will be released soon” and “the necessary framework to remove the blockade of a significant part of the country’s foreign exchange resources has been determined and agreed upon.”
Tehran-backed Houthi Militants Struggle with Infighting
As infighting between Houthi militant group leaders escalated over the past two days, the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, witnessed a serious security shift of armed men at new checkpoints.
Informed sources in Sanaa revealed to Al-Arabiya on Friday, April 15 that the tense security atmosphere was the result of an inter-group dispute between the militias, led by Interior Minister Abdul Karim al-Houthi and Aziz al-Jaradi, nicknamed Abu Tariq, the head of the Preventive Security Service and the financial director of the Houthis.
Informed sources say these differences include other prominent figures in the Houthi militia in the security sphere, including another intelligence official named Karar al-Khivani. The escalation of this dispute in recent days has led to the dismissal of “Abu Tariq” from his previous position and his appointment as director of security in Saada province.
UPDATE: 12:00 AM CEST
What Are the “Hidden Causes” of Price Hikes in Iran?
As Iran’s population continues to struggle with poverty, inflation, and high prices, regime leaders continue to blame anyone but themselves for the bankrupt state of the economy.
On April 13, the state-run ISNA news agency reported that regime president Ebrahim Raisi was dissatisfied with the rise in the price of basic goods and ordered supervisory bodies to examine the “hidden causes of high prices.”
Raisi claimed that “high prices are illogical and unjustifiable” and tried to lay the blame on unknown sources, saying, “It is unacceptable that a certain company or factory in the private sector can suddenly increase the prices of its goods.”
US 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights – Maryam Akbari Jailed 12 Years for Seeking Justice
The U.S. Department of State’s 2021 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices was released on April 13, 2022. One of the parts of the report focuses on the situation of political prisoners and detainees, including the case of political prisoner Maryam Akbari-Monfared.
“In March, as reprisal for signing an open letter accusing the government of routinely denying medical care to prisoners, authorities transferred Maryam Akbari-Monfared from Evin Prison to a prison 124 miles away from her family.
Why Iran’s Regime Can’t Tolerate Women in Stadiums
People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN YouTube channel has published an informative video about the Iranian regime’s opposition to the presence of women in the football stadiums. On March 29, Iranian security forces attacked hundreds of women soccer fans seeking to enter a stadium in Mashhad for a World Cup 2022 soccer qualifying match between Iran and Lebanon. The regime’s oppressive security forces used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – April 15, 2022