THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 5:30 PM CET
Haj Yusuf AKA “Abu Fatemeh” Replaces Diseased Quds Force Commander in Yemen
“The Iranian regime has appointed a Revolutionary Guards commander to run the Houthi militia and to replace its former representative, Hassan Irloo, who was recently killed,” credible sources in Sanaa told the Saudi Okaz newspaper.
The sources revealed that Tehran had handed over the military position as well as the supervision of ballistic missiles, drones, and IEDs to Haj Yusuf known as Abu Fatima.
Abu Fatima, whose real name has not yet been disclosed by the militias, is tasked with managing the political and economic landscape of Yemen, overseeing government institutions, and making organizational decisions.
Hundreds of Villages in Central, East, and Western Iran Trapped by Floods and Snowfall
Following severe floods in Lorestan province, electricity was cut off in 300 villages and the roads of 260 villages were blocked by rockfall as well as high water.
According to state news agencies, a severe storm that started on Saturday, January 15, led to the closure of many offices in Fahraj City as well as schools in some areas on Sunday. Upon warning of floods and heavy rains, many schools in Kerman, Jiroft, Anbarabad, Kahnooj, Faryab, Manojan, Qale-e Ganj, and Rudbar-e-Junub closed on Sunday.
Heavy snowfall in Sepidan, Fars province, reached a height of 170 cm, disrupting traffic on the roads.
UPDATE: 3:00 PM CET
Iran’s Natanz Tunnel Complex: Deeper, Larger than Expected
The new Natanz underground complex, located in the mountainous area south of the main uranium enrichment site, will feature halls more deeply buried than the Fordow uranium enrichment site, itself deeply buried. Both are significantly deeper underground than the buried centrifuge halls at the main Natanz site, each only eight meters below ground.
Given the size of the mountain, the new underground complex also has the potential to be much larger in floor space than the Iran Centrifuge Assembly Center (ICAC), an aboveground facility at the main Natanz site destroyed in July 2020 and slated for replacement in the new underground facility. The potential size of the underground complex raises questions about what capabilities this new tunnel complex will provide in addition to a new advanced centrifuge assembly plant. A Western intelligence official recently stated that there is strong reason to believe that an enrichment plant is being built at the Natanz underground site, and reiterated the claim in a follow-up conversation. The Institute was not able to independently confirm this, but a small, advanced centrifuge enrichment plant is certainly the most worrisome possibility.
Sunday Protests in Iran
Today, a large number of retired personal and social security pensioners held rallies in Tehran, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Rasht, and Alborz province to protest against the poor living conditions, the low wages and pensions, as well as the negligence of the state officials and their failure to address their complaints.
Tehran, in front of the regime’s parliament
Ahvaz, Southern Iran
Rasht, Northern Iran
Retired personnel of the Telecommunication Organization in Tehran
Retired personnel of the Steel Production Industry in Isfahan
Alborz, Northern Iran
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Sohr: Villagers Protest Against Iranian Factions Presence in Syria’s Deir Ezzor
Residents of seven villages in the northern countryside of Deir Ezzor, east Syria, protested on Saturday against the presence of Iranian-backed factions in their regions, according to a UK-based war monitor.
In a report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited reliable sources monitoring a demonstration near Al- Salihiya crossing north of Deir Ezzor, calling for the removal of Iranian proxies from areas under their control in the countryside of Deir Ezzor.
The seven villages from which residents partook in the demonstration are al-Husseiniya, Murat, Mazloum, al-Salihiya, Hatla, Khasham and Tabiya.
UPDATE: 10:00 AM CET
Iran: Crackdowns, a Desperate Response To Growing Unrest
There have been numerous reports, since the beginning of January, of the Iranian regime’s authorities cracking down on opposition activists and political prisoners. Nevertheless, there have been persistent signs of public unrest and in defiance of state propaganda that strives to present an image of strength and broad social support for the clerics.
On January 5, a statue of the eliminated Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani was set on fire, by Resistance Units affiliated with the country’s leading opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
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Political Prisoner Nejat Anvar Hamidi May Go Blind if Not Treated
Political prisoner Nejat Anvar Hamidi Karoun, who is serving a five-year sentence at the Sepidar Prison of Ahvaz, is at risk of losing her eyesight in prison. The Department of Intelligence of Ahvaz has prevented the 66-year-old political prisoner, from going on medical leave despite her dire physical condition. Political prisoner Nejat Anvar Hamidi is suffering from cataracts in both eyes and is in urgent need of treatment and surgery. But the Department of Intelligence of Ahvaz opposes and prevents her from going on medical leave.
Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses 497,800
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Saturday, January 15, 2022, that the COVID-19 death toll in 547 cities has passed 497,800. The number of fatalities in Tehran has reached 116,285, Khorasan Razavi 40,090, Mazandaran 18,065, Kerman 13,432, Golestan 10,825, Kermanshah 9,319, Semnan 6,560, and North Khorasan 6,378.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – January 15, 2022
