THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Omicron and Sixth Wave Ahead for Iran, News Agency Warns
Quds Force-run Tasnim news agency reported today: “Despite all statistics showing a downward trend of the Covid-19 pandemic across the country, a sudden jump of 25.6 percent in the daily infection rate compared to last Friday showed that the evil virus has always been active and the shadow of Omicron is casting above the country’s skies.”
Calling negligence in confronting the virus “a strategic mistake”, Tasnim warned: “We must be prepared to deal with the sixth peak as well as with the Omicron virus.”
Lebanese Initiative Announced to End Iranian Regime’s Occupation
Talking about launching a national front against the Iranian regime in Lebanon, former youth and sports minister Ahmed Fatfat said: “The National Council has a national goal and that is to liberate Lebanon from the occupation of the Iranian regime. We want this occupation, which takes place at the bottom of the Lebanese government to be dismantled.”
The al-Hadath TV reported the former minister as saying: “In fact, Hezbollah’s hegemony over the Lebanese government represents the domination and occupation of the Iranian regime because it is tied to the decisions of the Supreme Leader and all Hezbollah property and weapons are provided by the Iranian regime. So there must be national unity against it. National unity and overcoming sectarianism and keeping Lebanon away from the projects of the hegemons is the only way out of this impasse for Lebanon.”
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
IRGC Denied Revelations That PS752 Was Shot Down Deliberately
Following the shocking revelation from parents of two victims of the downed flight PS752 about how the Iranian regime used the passenger plane as a human shield, the Revolutionary Guards spokesman, Brigadier General Ramezan Sharif denied the accusations as “falsehood”.
The Quds Force-run Tasnim News Agency quoted the IRGC spokesman as saying: “The mother of the martyrs had made a mistake about the meeting and the words of the IRGC commander-in-chief with herself and her husband. After two years, they have provided an incomplete, biased, and distorted quotation [from the IRGC commander].”
On Sunday, January 9, 2022, Asadi Lari, the Iranian regime’s former deputy minister of health and his wife, who parented two victims of the Ukrainian airliner PS752 told the state-run Sharq newspaper that Revolutionary Guards commander Hussein Salami had met with them in February 2020 and told them: “You know how valuable your children are and that they played a bigger role than martyrs in a battlefield. If they wouldn’t be there, did you know what kind of a war we would be facing? If this wouldn’t happen, 10 million people would have died and this incident prevented the war.”
UPDATE: 7:00 PM CET
Digital Vaccine Cards For Sale in Iran
The state-run news agency ISNA reported today: “Digital vaccine cards can be bought and for two doses of vaccine, you only have to pay 500,000 tomans. Once you download the digital card with a barcode from the main page of the Ministry of Health, the sum will be deducted. If the card applicant has injected one dose of vaccine and doesn’t want the second dose, he must pay half the amount, i.e. 250,000 tomans. In order to submit the information, it is enough to present the national ID card, year of birth, and contact number. Recording the type of vaccine is also optional, which means that the applicant can choose any type of vaccine he wants and it will be recorded on the digital card.”
UPDATE: 3:30 PM CET
2021 Was a Year of Consecutive Defeats for Iran’s Ruling Regime
The elected representatives of the people of Val d’Oise province and a considerable number of the French supporters of the Iranian Resistance participated in a virtual New Year gathering at Auvers-sur-Oise in solidarity with the Iranian Resistance on Sunday, January 9, 2022. Several French personalities and elected representatives spoke to the gathering.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
Amid Speculations about Increasing Gas Prices, State-run Newspaper Warns of Intolerant Society
The state-run newspaper Hamdeli wrote today: “The deputy head of the Program and Budget Organization did not say that a liter of gasoline is going to be 20,000 tomans (the free market rate is now officially 3,000 tomans) and in general it is not clear what the government is up to and what plans it has for gas prices. But there are indications that suggest something is going to happen regarding the gas prices.”
Every time an official starts talking about increasing gas prices, our deeply troubled society gets scared and worried,” the daily added. “The government’s appetite is not low so the increase will not be limited to 10% and 20%, rather it is a matter of a few hundred percent.”
Hamdeli warned: “20,000 tomans of gasoline on paper is scary already, let alone the implementation. The government better not be thinking that it can put a figure on subsidies and then do whatever it wants… It looks like we haven’t learned the lesson. Society cannot tolerate another shock.”
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET
New Economic Shocks Will Enflame the Society, MP Warns
Opposing the elimination of the state preferred exchange rate in the new administration’s budget for next year, Mehdi Asgari, a member of the Iranian regime’s parliament said that the economy is sensitive to issues such as energy carriers, exchange rates, and prices of basic goods while warning that society should not be subjected to explosive shocks.
“People can’t stand the new inflation shock,” Asgari told other MPs on Sunday. “More than 10 million households are below the poverty line and millions of households are moving toward that direction. People’s spine is breaking; why don’t you hear it? People can’t stand the new pressure. There’s no meat or rice on people’s tables anymore. Do you want to remove bread and cheese from it? Society is not prepared for these actions. Do not inflame the society.”
Statement by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Iranian Threats and Provocations Against American Citizens
JANUARY 09, 2022
STATEMENTS AND RELEASES
Yesterday, Iran purported to impose sanctions on 51 Americans. They do so as Iran’s proxy militias continue to attack American troops in the Middle East, and as Iranian officials threaten to carry out terror operations inside the United States and elsewhere around the world. Make no mistake: the United States of America will protect and defend its citizens. This includes those serving the United States now and those who formerly served. As Americans, we have our disagreements on politics. We have our disagreements on Iran’s policy. But we are united in our resolve against threats and provocations. We are united in the defense of our people. We will work with our allies and partners to deter and respond to any attacks carried out by Iran. Should Iran attack any of our nationals, including any of the 51 people named yesterday, it will face severe consequences.
Iranian Schools Shut Down in Major Cities Due to Air Pollution
Following the Iranian regime’s decision to continue to burn mazut in power plants, the increase of air pollution in Tehran, Esfahan, Karaj, Tabriz, Ahvaz, and Arak forced local officials to close down educational units in these cities.
ISNA state news agency quoted Hamed Maleki, deputy governor in Tehran, that due to severe air pollution in the province, kindergartens and preschools are shut down while elementary school classes have to suspend in-person sessions on Monday and Tuesday in the capital as well as other cities of the province.
The director-general of the environment in Isfahan province also announced the closure of schools, especially kindergartens, preschools, and primary schools in Isfahan as well as 11 other cities like Sajzi, Shahin Shahr, Khomeini Shahr, Dolatabad, Zarrinshahr, Mobarakeh, Fooladshahr, Falavarjan, Kashan, Aran, Bidgol, and Najafabad.
In Khuzestan, in-person classes in primary, preschool, and kindergartens in the cities of Ahvaz and Karun were suspended on Monday.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET
Iranian Government’s Budget Is in Jeopardy, Official Says
Addressing Ebrahim Raisi administration’s budget in the parliament on Sunday, January 9, 2022, Masoud Mirkazemi, the head of the Iranian regime’s Program and Budget Organization said: “For several years, despite stabilizing some items such as fuel prices and state’s preferred exchange rate, we have imposed 50% inflation on the people.”
Mirkazemi added: “Next year, our total oil sales are going to be 1.2 million barrels [per day], which is disputed by some friends, saying that it is impossible to sell that much. You multiply this by $60 per barrel and it equals $26 billion in total oil revenue. Subtract the state fund’s share; reduce the share of income for the National Oil Company, reduce another 3% for “the deprived”, and you have 62.5% remaining. That means $16 billion. How can we spend $30 billion for the country when we have only $16 billion in revenue?”
Iranian Resistance Units Vow To Overthrow the Mullahs’ Regime
As protests continue in different parts of Iran, the Resistance Units, a network of MEK activists inside Iran, pushed forward with their activities, calling for the overthrow of the mullahs’ regime. These activities take place as the regime continues to disregard the basic needs of the Iranian people and squanders the country’s resources on its destructive and criminal policies. As floods ravage large swaths of Iran, the regime has refrained from taking preventive measures and providing aid to the disaster-stricken people. At the same time, the regime is wasting large sums on testing missiles, pursuing its nuclear program, and exporting arms and money to its terrorist proxies in the regime.
Iran Regime’s Terrorism in 2021, A Summary
Iran’s human rights violations and terrorism are intertwined, and both are gaining new dimensions. Terrorism has a direct impact on human rights abuses, trampling on the victim’s right to life, liberty, and physical integrity. In addition, over the past decades, the regime’s terrorism has destabilized many governments in the region while taking thousands of lives of foreign nationals.
Six Political Prisoners Who Were Beaten Face New Charges
Six political prisoners who were beaten by violent criminals hired by authorities at the Greater Tehran Penitentiary went to court to face new charges. Political prisoners Akbar Bagheri, Pouya Ghobadi, Shapour Ehsani Rad, Esmail Gerami, Alireza Farshi, and another prisoner were tried on January 8, at Branch 101 of the Hassanabad Fashafoyeh Criminal Court on the false charge of “rioting in prison”.
Student Activist Leila Hosseinzadeh Summoned To Begin Serving Sentence
Student activist Leila Hosseinzadeh has been summoned to Evin Court to begin serving her prison term. According to the summons, Leila Hosseinzadeh was ordered to appear at the court within 5 days. Leila Hosseinzadeh, a student of anthropology at Tehran University, was sentenced to five years imprisonment on the charge of “assembly and collusion with the intention of acting against national security” and prohibited from activities on social media for two years.
Iran’s Revolutionary Court Sentences Political Prisoner to Death
A revolutionary court in Mashhad, northeast Iran has sentenced a political prisoner to death. Babak Paknia, the lawyer representing political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani said in a tweet today that his client has been sentenced to death for “corruption on earth.” Mr. Paknia said that he will appeal the conviction within 20 days.
The Number of Coronavirus Victims Across the Country Is More Than 496,300
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on January 9, 2022, that the COVID-19 fatalities in 547 cities are more than 496,300. In Tehran, the death toll has reached 115,980, Khorasan Razavi 40,000, Mazandaran 18,015, Gilan 17,210, Kerman 13,377, Hamedan 9,203, Hormozgan 8,215, and Kurdistan 8,187.
#Iran Coronavirus Update
More than 496,3300 people have died of #COVID19 in 547 cities checkered across all of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI/MEK.
Full reporthttps://t.co/hIgVWNH2xF pic.twitter.com/20hk35lr8U
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 9, 2022
Read more: Iran News in Brief – January 9, 2022
