THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:00 PM CET
Collapse and Explosions of Several Buildings in Tehran Leave Dozens Dead and Injured
One day after the deadly demolition of buildings in the 19th district of Iran’s capital, an explosion occurred in a 3-story house in the “Javanmard Ghasab” neighborhood of Tehran, resulting in the destruction of this house and nearby houses. Mohammad Esmaeili Tavakoli, the head of Tehran Province Emergency Services, stated that so far “16 injured individuals” have been transferred to medical centers, with “3 of them in critical condition.”
Today, the IRGC-run Fars News Agency quoted state officials as saying that in the explosion of a 3-story building in the Javanmard Ghasab neighborhood, 18 people have been injured, and one person has been killed.
Ghodratollah Mohammadi, the CEO of the Tehran Fire Department, also told the Iranian State TV and Radio Organization (IRIB) that the cause of the building explosion in Javanmard Ghasab was a “gas leak.”
This incident took place during the early hours of today, while domestic media outlets also reported on Sunday, August 9, the simultaneous collapse of 5 buildings in the south of Tehran as part of the “Crackdown on Unauthorized Constructions” initiative and announced that some municipal and police officials lost their lives in this incident.
IRNA, the official news agency, quoting Ali Salehi, the Prosecutor of Tehran, had described the incident as follows, “The law enforcement and municipality officials were in the Kholazir area in the south of Tehran in the early hours of Sunday, demolishing unauthorized and unsafe structures when one of the buildings collapsed, leading to the collapse of four other buildings, and some police and municipality personnel were trapped under the debris during this operation.”
According to the state-affiliated website Tajarat News on August 6, “the sudden collapse of several unauthorized buildings occurred in the process of demolition in the south of Tehran, and has so far resulted in the death of three people (including 2 police officers) and injuries to 11 citizens.
Japan Raises Concerns over Iran’s Nuclear Enrichment and Drone Supplies to Russia for Ukraine War
TOKYO (AP) — Japan expressed concern on Monday over Iran’s advancing uranium enrichment program and the Middle East country’s suspected supplying of combat drones to Moscow for Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi raised the two issues during talks with his visiting Iranian counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian, the foreign ministry in Tokyo said. A statement from the ministry said Hayashi appealed for Iran to act constructively in the matter but did not elaborate.
Iranian drones have been a key element of Russia’s continued war on Ukraine. Tehran has offered conflicting accounts about the drones — first denying Iran has supplied them to Russia and later claiming the unmanned aircraft were only sold before the Russian invasion.
UPDATE: 4:30 PM CET
Rising Bread Prices in Iran Trigger Cost Increases in Goods and Services
Following the rise in bread prices in Tehran and other cities, the cost of other goods and services has also increased. According to the state-run newspaper “Jahan San’at,” with the increase in bread prices, taxi fares in Tehran have also risen. In certain routes in western Tehran, where the fare was 6,000 tomans, it has now increased by 1,000 tomans.
On the other hand, news of an increase in bread prices has been reported in around 13 provinces. The state-affiliated website, “Entekhab,” while publishing this news, stated that the change in bread prices will be implemented in other provinces, by mid-August.
Thousands of US Sailors, Marines Reach Red Sea After Iran Tensions
Dubai (AFP) – More than 3,000 US military personnel have arrived in the Red Sea aboard two warships, as part of increased deployments after tanker seizures by Iran, the US Navy said Monday. The US sailors and Marines entered the Red Sea on Sunday after transiting through the Suez Canal in a pre-announced deployment, the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet said in a statement.
They arrived on board the USS Bataan and USS Carter Hall warships, providing “greater flexibility and maritime capability” to the Fifth Fleet, the statement added. The US military says Iran has either seized or attempted to take control of nearly 20 internationally flagged ships in the region over the past two years.
Monday Protests in Iran
Today, August 7, pensioners and retirees in various provinces of Iran including Ilam, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Kermanshah, Fars, Gilan, Tehran, Arak, Qazvin, Mashhad, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, and Kurdistan, gathered once again in front of the Telecommunication Company to protest the lack of attention to their demands. These demands include the full implementation of the personnel and employment regulations of 2010 and resolving healthcare insurance issues. This demonstration is in line with the weekly Monday protests, as retirees voice their grievances seeking a response to their demands.
August 7—Kermanshah, western #Iran
Retirees of the telecom industry hold protest rally, demanding higher pensions.
Protesters are chanting, "We will not stop until we get our rights!"#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/X3k4LC1UjK— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 7, 2023
August 7—Ilam, western #Iran
Retirees of the telecom industry hold protest rally in front of the offices telecom company, demanding higher pensions and other basic needs.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/IU5kOj32bk— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 7, 2023
August 7—Isfahan, central #Iran
Retirees of the telecom industry hold protest rally, demanding 13 years of overdue payments and chanting slogans against regime officials who are ignoring their demands.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/nwYsHczL3K— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 7, 2023
SSF Chief’s Retaliatory Threats Amid Escalating Armed Attacks Against the Regime
Following the surge of armed attacks against the oppressive mercenaries of the Iranian regime’s State Security Forces, Ahmadreza Radan, the SSF Chief, resorted to threatening the people with retaliation to boost the morale of his downtrodden forces. Talking to state reporters on August 6, Radan stated, “We believe that anyone who dares to attack our officers while he is carrying a weapon must be killed.”
The head of the regime’s security forces, while trying to dictate the regime’s line of narrative to the reporters, cited recent armed attacks on the security forces, particularly in Sistan and Baluchestan Province.
He said, “In the incident of the attack on Border Patrol Tower in Mazeh, we presented the initial account in such a way that no media outlet could make a fuss about it. Similarly, in the Zahedan incident, we initiated the narrative that we engaged with the attackers in the city of Zahedan, who attacked the local police station.”
Nine Poor Freight Carriers Shot By Security Forces in West Iran
On Sunday, August 6, the Iranian regime’s border regiment forces opened fire directly on a group of freight carriers (known as “kulbars”) near the border area of Nousud. As a result, nine kulbars from the cities of Javanroud, Salas Babajani, and Paveh were severely injured.
Most of these kulbars sustained injuries to their head, back, arms, and legs. So far, the identities of three of these hardworking compatriots have been identified as Ehsan Rasouli and Nima Aazami, both from Paveh city and Omid Vaisi. Local reports suggest that Ehsan Rasouli suffered chest injuries and underwent surgery at the Quds Hospital in Paveh.
Other injured kulbars were also transported to the Quds Hospital for medical treatment, and the general condition of some of them has been reported as critical.
UPDATE: 11:00 AM CET
Mandatory Hijab Watch in Iran: 400 Enforcers to Patrol Subways
According to a report from the state-affiliated online newspaper “Faraz” on Monday, August 7, the clerical regime’s security forces plan to employ 400 “hijab enforcers” who will receive a monthly salary of 12 million tomans to suppress women under the guise of “enforcing proper veiling and protecting norms.” Their job would involve preventing women without mandatory hijab from entering subways and reporting them to law enforcement. The salary of 12 million tomans for these enforcers is significantly higher than the minimum monthly wage approved by the Supreme Labor Council for the year 1402, which is less than five million and 310 thousand tomans.
For married workers with children covered by the labor law, the minimum wage is around 8 million tomans. It’s worth noting that wages for workers who are not covered by the so-called “Labor Law” are even lower than the minimum approved by the Supreme Labor Council.
According to the report, the “hijab enforcers” are supposed to be limited to giving verbal warnings and preventing hijab violators from entering the subway. If faced with resistance, they can refer the women to law enforcement.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
MEK Resistance Units Expand Activities Despite Oppressive Measures by Iran’s Regime
Resistance Units, a network of activists inside Iran affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), have expanded their activities across the country despite a wave of executions and repressive measures by the regime against political activists. The MEK Resistance Units projected images of Iranian Resistance leader Massoud Rajavi and NCRI president-elect Maryam Rajavi in different cities on the anniversary of the Constitutional Revolution. In Tehran, the images of Iranian Resistance leaders were projected on Karim Khan Street and Farhan Boulevard in Saadat Abad. In Yazd, central Iran, the image of the Resistance leaders was projected on Enghelab Street. In Kashan, central Iran, the images were projected on Resalat Street. Similar activities were reported in Kermanshah, Shiraz, Qom, Aligudarz, and Dehdasht.
The Gradual Increase of Bread Prices and the Iranian Regime’s Fear of the “Army of the Hungry”
Less than a month of contradictory news and denial of rumors about the increase in the price of bread, and after the news of an “undeclared increase in the price of bread” in the first half of July, on Wednesday, August 2, state television announced the increase in the price of bread in 13 provinces. At the same time, the deputy governor of Tehran tried announcing there is no news about raising the price of bread in Tehran, to dampen the anger of the fed-up people. This clearly indicates the regime’s fear of the consequences of raising the price of bread, and how they manipulate the news in order unofficially increase the price of bread, the item that the livelihood of people depends on it. Earlier, on July 25, Fars News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, wrote, “This morning, suddenly, the price of bread has increased in Khorasan Razavi province. The published table of the new price list of bread in Khorasan-Razavi province indicates an increase of about 40% in the price of all types of bread. For example, until yesterday, the traditional subsidized Barbari bread was sold at the price of 8,500 rials. Now it is sold to households for 12,000 rials.”
Nazila Maroufian Returned to Evin Prison Despite Cardiac Arrest
On Saturday, August 5, 2023, Nazila Maroufian was transferred from Evin Prison to Taleghani Hospital in Tehran due to “nervous and psychological stress and rapid heartbeat.” After a few hours of hospitalization, she was returned to Evin Prison. Nazila Maroufian is a 23-year-old Kurdish journalist from Saqqez, who resides in Tehran.
According to a reliable source close to Nazila Maroufian’s family, it was stated, “Ms. Maroufian’s transfer to Taleghani Hospital from prison took place last night due to severe nervous pressure and anxiety. However, after several hours, she was only given an intravenous drip and immediately transferred back to Evin Prison.” The journalist’s family has also been informed of the transfer and the situation of their daughter through telephone communication, as they reside in Saqqez.
Environmental Destruction and Forced Migration in Iran Are Reaching Alarming Levels
Rising temperatures, drying rivers and lakes, and unprecedented drought have become the norm in Iran, leading to widespread dust storms that engulf vast areas of the country. The escalating desertification process in Iran has reached a point where Iranian authorities warned last month that over one million hectares of land, roughly equivalent to the size of Qom Province or the country of Lebanon, will become uninhabitable annually. This situation has put the Iranian government in trouble in controlling the situation in a country where 90 percent of its land is either dry or semi-dry, and conditions are heading towards a critical crisis and forced migration.
Ukraine Aligns with EU Sanctions on Iran Over Drone Supplies to Russia
Ukraine joined the European Union in sanctions against Iran for its military support to Russia, including through supplying one-way attack drones. This is reported by the European Council press service, Ukrinform saw. In addition to Ukraine, EU candidate states North Macedonia, Montenegro, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway, which are members of the European Economic Area, also supported the economic restrictions targeting Iran. “Iran provides military support for Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine. In this context. the Council decided to add five individuals involved in the development and delivery of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to Russia to the list of persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictive measures,” the statement reads.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 6, 2023