THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Protests on Saturday and Sunday in Iran
Today, Sunday, February 15, retirees and pensioners organized nationwide protests and rallied in cities like Shushtar, Arak, Rasht, Sanandaj, Tehran, Shush, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Khorramabad, Bojnourd, and cities in Khorasan Razavi province.
Today, workers of the Ahvaz National Steel Group gathered in front of the regime’s governorate building in Ahvaz to protest the officials’ failure to address their demands.
Taxi drivers of Baharestan County parked their cars next to the Tehran-Saveh highway to protest the new law that forces them to pay tolls on the freeway.
Today, the 57th rally of scammed clients who fell victim to a systemic fraudulent campaign by Reagan Khodro Company and Shahr Khodro Company took place in front of the National Inspection Organization. Years ago, these people have paid these companies to buy new cars but both enterprises failed to deliver and are asking for more, arguing that inflation has changed the rates. The dispute has been unresolved for more than four years and the Judiciary has so far refused to address the complaints.
Today, Sunday, February 13, workers of the Kian Petrochemical Company in Assaluyeh, South Iran, went on strike and protested against the authorities to pay their arrears.
Also on Saturday, retired personnel of the Artapan Industrial Group, an Iranian oil company, held a protest rally in front of the Office of Retirement Affairs of this company, protesting the violation of their rights.
Teachers and educators held a rally in front of the Ministry of Education building in Tehran on Saturday, protesting their unfair working conditions and unresolved contracts. Despite years of work experience, and with a monthly salary of 2 million tomans ($74 USD) these teachers are having a hard time handling livelihood problems, and their employment terms have not yet been finalized with the employers.
Sepahan Cement Company workers held a rally on Saturday, protesting the miserable living conditions, low wages, and job insecurity.
Retired personnel of the Haftappeh Sugarcane Company stopped work on Saturday, to protest the authorities’ refusal to pay their wages.
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET
Dozens of Dems, GOP Lawmakers Call For a Democratic Iran on Anniversary of 1979 Revolution
Over 50 House lawmakers, both Democrat and Republican, used the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution to renew U.S. calls for a free and democratic Iran — just as the regime in Tehran faced its own troubles at home.
At a virtual conference organized by the Organization of Iranian American Communities, dozens of lawmakers marked the anniversary of the 1979 revolution, when Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi’s government fell after mass demonstrations. It would be followed by the establishment of an Islamic Republic with a supreme leader having final say on state matters.
Iran Creates Elite Band of Pirates To Rule the Seas
ELITE units from Iran are training mercenaries as modern-day privateers to carry out naval attacks. The Quds Force naval unit has already trained and equipped hundreds of Yemeni and Iraqi mercenaries to carry out attacks while solidifying a covert arms-smuggling network, a new report reveals.
News of the unit emerges as diplomatic efforts to persuade Iran to rein in its nuclear programme continue. Iran’s elite Quds force is already a well-established branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, tasked with mounting extraterritorial operations to support Iran’s proxy wars across the middle east.
UPDATE: 9:30 AM CET
Iranians Mark Anniversary of 1979 Revolution With Anti-regime Slogans
As Iran marked the 43rd anniversary of the 1979 Revolution that ousted the Shah’s dictatorship, the ruling mullahs tried to paint a popular image of their regime. However, much to their chagrin, in several cities, anti-regime slogans were broadcast through loudspeakers in shopping centers and public places. On Thursday, February 10, the citizens of Shahr-e Rey (south of Tehran), and Sarasiab and Fardis districts of Karaj, a major city located west of Tehran, heard anti-regime slogans, including:
– “Death to Khamenei, Viva Rajavi!” in reference to regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and Iranian Resistance leader Mr. Massoud Rajavi and opposition coalition NCRI President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi.
Will Vienna Talks, JCPOA Prevent Khamenei From Acquiring A-bomb?
While few politicians or governments are unaware that acquiring an atomic bomb is one of the strategic goals of Iran’s Supreme Leader to ensure his regime’s survival, there is still insufficient will to prevent Ali Khamenei from achieving that goal.
The 2015 JCPOA agreement between Iran and the P5 + 1 (US, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany) limited Iran’s nuclear activities for a short time (15 years). However, even after the 2015 agreement, Iran continued its nuclear activities, including working on producing more advanced centrifuges, both secretly and out of sight of IAEA inspectors and under the guise of research to produce isotopes and treat cancer patients.
Romina, Mona, and Defenseless Women Under Iran’s Tyranny
Across Iran, ‘honor killings’ of young women are an all-too-common phenomenon, and regularly feature in news headlines these days. In a recent report from February 5, in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, a young man was seen at the Kassaei Square in Ahvaz carrying the head of a young woman who had been decapitated. Onlookers, including a group of mechanics fixing vehicles, recalled the murderer boating, “This is her head; we brought it.” The victim has been identified as 17-year-old Mona (Qazal) Heidari.
Political Prisoners Khadijeh Mehdipour Beaten and Injured
Political prisoner Khadijeh Medipour was beaten by several violent criminals and injured in the eye on Thursday.
Iran’s Prisons Organization confirmed the news on Friday, February 11, saying that the reason for the “conflict” was “obscenity and insult” to Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the regime, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, and Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in January 2020 in Iraq in a US drone strike.
Labor Activists Summoned, Arrested, and Sentenced
Labor activists Nasrin Javadi, Asal Mohammadi, and Aliyeh Eghdam-Doost have been summoned, sentenced, and arrested in recent days. Nasrin Javadi, a member of the Iranian Workers’ Free Trade Union, was summoned to serve a seven-year prison sentence. Ms. Javadi cannot endure imprisonment due to her old age, various diseases, and the need for frequent use of drugs. Her lawyer had already presented the Forensics Office’s medical certificates to the court, verifying Nasrin Javadi’s inability to bear detention.
Iran: Coronavirus Deaths Exceed 505,300
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Saturday, February 12, 2022, that the Coronavirus death toll in 547 cities surpassed 505,300. The number of victims Tehran has reached 118,055, Khorasan Razavi 40,575, Isfahan 35,050, Khuzestan 30,435, Fars 19,200, West Azerbaijan 19,028, Mazandaran 18,290, Gilan 17,460, East Azerbaijan 17,448, Lorestan 16,650, Sistan and Baluchestan 13,935, Kerman 13,632, Qom 13,595 Golestan 10,970, Kermanshah 9,454, Hamedan 9,338, Hormozgan 8,420, Kurdistan 8,317, Semnan 6,660, North Khorasan 6,508, Ardabil 6,455, Qazvin 5,974, Bushehr 5,659, Ilam 4,838, Zanjan 4,880, and South Khorasan 4,511.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – February 12, 2022
