Iran News in Brief – December 24, 2021

Hamideh Taati

3 years ago

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 08:00 PM CET

U.S. State Department: Iran’s Regime Is Sending Illegal Weapons to Houthis in Yemen

Iran’s regime is smuggling weapons to the Houthis in Yemen, the US State Department announced in a statement.

US military seized more than 1,400 rifles and 226,600 ammunition rounds from a vessel originating from Iran on December 20.

This ship was on a route historically used to smuggle weapons to the Houthis in Yemen, according to the State Department.

“The smuggling of arms from Iran to the Houthis represents a flagrant violation of the UN targeted arms embargo,” the State Department said. The statement called it “yet another example of how malign Iranian activity is prolonging the war in Yemen.”

“Iran’s support for armed groups throughout the region threatens international and regional security,” the statement reads

Iranian Student Activist Leila Hosseinzadeh Suffering Inhumane Conditions in Evin Prison

Student activist Leila Hosseinzadeh has been held in inhumane conditions since her arrest on December 7. Security forces arrested Hosseinzadeh and nine friends at gunpoint in Shiraz.

She was held incommunicado in an intelligence department detention center and subjected to torture. Her family did not have any news about her or her whereabouts She has also been denied much-needed medicine.

She is currently in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, controlled by the Intelligence Ministry. The regime has arrested and imprisoned Leila Hosseinzadeh on several occasions for organizing and participating in protests.

Iranian Opposition Leader Sends a Message on Christmas Eve

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the NCRI sent a video message on Christmas Eve. “Christ is the ultimate message of the victory of rebelling against tyranny and injustice because ‘the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it,’” she said.

Maryam Rajavi’s message on #Christmas #MerryChristmas https://t.co/F60FQNK1NQ pic.twitter.com/nfCrBjMXfU

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) December 24, 2021

UPDATE: 10:30 AM CET

Iran Wants More Concessions Amidst Nuclear Threats But Should Receive the Opposite

By Dr. Majid Rafizadeh- The prospect of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon remains one of the greatest threats to global security, and will likely as such as the year 2022 gets underway. Political responses to that threat have been developing for nearly two decades, but a definitive solution remains elusive. In its absence, the crisis has continued to inch forward, to the point that some experts regard the Iranian regime as being only several weeks removed from nuclear weapons “breakout.”

Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah Operate Terrorist Camps in Lebanon and Iraq

The Bahraini security services had succeeded in breaking espionage and terrorist cells, groups, and networks linked to Iran, arresting terrorists who have received training in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and Hezbollah terrorist camps in Lebanon and Iraq.

UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET

Kurdish Cities Go On Strike to Protest Execution of Political Prisoner Heidar Ghorbani

Several cities in Iran’s Kurdistan province went on strike on Thursday protesting the execution of a political prisoner.

Merchants and shop owners closed their businesses to protest the hanging of Heidar Ghorbani, executed on December 19.

Ghorbani was arrested by agents of the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS) in 2016. He was sentenced to death for “armed rebellion against the state,” murdering 3 Basij members, and membership in a dissident group.

In recent months, human rights experts and activists have repeatedly warned about Ghorbani’s case. He was tortured to make incriminating confessions that were later broadcast by state-run media.

IRAN: Teachers Rise up in More Than 100 Cities Nationwide

On Thursday morning, December 23, 2021, teachers and educators across Iran rallied in more than 100 cities across Iran to protest the clerical regime’s oppressive policies and the parliament’s adoption of the hastily drafted and deceptive “ranking” bill.

Following the protests and demonstrations of teachers in more than 200 cities in recent weeks, on December 15, 2021, the clerical regime’s parliament drafted a bill entitled teacher’s “Ranking,” which, even if implemented, would not have met the minimum demands of teachers. The teachers described the bill as a dagger to the ranking bill and vowed to continue their protests.

Iran: COVID-19 Deaths Surpass 491,400

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Thursday, December 23, 2021, that the COVID-19 death toll in 547 cities has surpassed 491,400. In Tehran death toll has reached 115,020, Isfahan 33,870, West Azerbaijan 18,518, Fars 18,520, Gilan 17,065, Lorestan 16,290, Qom 13,245, Central Province 8,948, and Qazvin 5,734.