THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Iranian State Police Kills Eight Year Old Girl in Car Shooting
According to reports from inside Iran, on Wednesday, January 19, security forces in Zanjan fired directly at a Peugeot 405, killing an 8-year-old and injuring her older sister. The victim was identified as Mozgin Palangi. Her older sister, Falak Palangi, was severely injured and is receiving medical treatment at a medical center in Zanjan.
The report states that the police started chasing and shooting from behind the car with a mother, her two daughters, and her son as passengers. The motive of the shooting is still unknown.
The family was from the village of Mullah Hassan, near the city of Maku in the province of West Azerbaijan, and was coming back from Tehran after visiting relatives. Mozgin’s father, Kamal, is said to have died two years ago.
UPDATE: 7:00 PM CET
Reports of Aggression in Iran
According to the official news agency IRNA, on January 23, Hamid Reza Tameli, the governor in Ardestan, Isfahan province, said that a person has been arrested and handed over to Nain Prison for “insulting and vandalism against a statue of Ruhollah Khomeini, the former supreme leader of the regime, in the city’s main square.
Also today, the IRGC-run Tasnim News Agency quoted Abdullah Nohi, the governor of Baharestan County, as saying: “The discussions about the shooting and barrage targeting the former chairman of the Salehieh City Council is not true and only one bullet was fired and the chairman was taken to the hospital.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CET
Sunday Protests in Iran
On Sunday, January 23, a group of retired personnel and pensioners of the steel production industry held various rallies in front of the Steel Pension Fund office in different cities like Tehran, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Mashhad, and Rasht. These protesters demand fair payments for lifelong work and dedication, especially in light of the worsening economic circumstances of the country.
January 23 – Tabriz, northwest #Iran
Retirees and pensioners of the Social Security Organization rallying and protesting poor living conditions and demanding their rights.#IranProtests#اعتراضات_سراسریpic.twitter.com/RglNkYPi8c— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 23, 2022
January 23 – Mashhad, northeast #Iran
Retirees and pensioners of the Social Security Org. protesting continuously hearing hollow promises from regime officials.#IranProtests #اعتراضات_سراسریpic.twitter.com/LcUSe3qctH— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 23, 2022
January 23 – Tehran, #Iran
Medical workers rallying outside the regime's Majlis (parliament) protesting their poor living and working conditions.#IranProtests #اعتراضات_سراسری pic.twitter.com/pu7EbbDa5e— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 23, 2022
January 23 – Shush, southwest #Iran
Workers of the Mian-ab Sugar Cane Company are marching and on strike for the eighth consecutive day seeking answers to their outstanding demands.#IranProtests #اعتراضات_سراسری pic.twitter.com/Lmoy51r2g0— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 23, 2022
Us Navy Stops Ship Carrying ‘Explosive Precursor’ From Iran on Yemen Route
The US navy said Sunday it had stopped a ship carrying 40 tons of fertilizer that can be used to make explosives as it traveled from Iran along a route previously used to smuggle weapons to Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia.
The navy said it boarded and searched the ship – which last year was caught carrying thousands of weapons – and handed the vessel to Yemen’s coast guard, after intercepting it in international waters in the Gulf of Oman on Tuesday.
Iran’s Call For United Nations To Punish Donald Trump Over Qassem Soleimani’s Killing Shows Why the West Must Not Appease the Mullahs
The US State Department listed Soleimani as an international terrorist. As the de-facto second in command of Iran’s military hierarchy, he was responsible for thousands of deaths of Iraqi, Syrian, and Lebanese people as well as US military personnel.
He controlled the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, a vicious military unit responsible for extra-territorial operations. Soleimani was answerable only to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and, as such, was described by many as the second most powerful person in the Islamic Republic.
UPDATE: 10:00 AM CET
Paying Tribute to Nourmorad Kalejouyi, a Symbol of Defiance Against Two Dictatorships in Iran
Nourmorad Kalejouyi, a beloved member of the main Iranian opposition who charted a long journey of the struggle for freedom dating back to the 1950s when he supported the late Iranian prime minister Dr. Mohammad Mossaddeq, passed away January 20, 2022. He was 87.
Known affectionately as “Nourmorad” among members of the opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) in Albania, Mr. Kalejouyi had a painful and long personal story, intertwined with defining moments in Iran’s history.
Causes of Desertification in Iran
Two major environmental hazards are affecting planet earth in developing world countries like Iran. These are deforestation and desertification. Overgrazing, fire, and deforestation thin out or destroy vegetation, leaving exposed soil prone to wind, and water erosion or flooding. Once, the nutrient-rich topsoil blows or washes away, plants may not be able to revive.
Overgrazing causes soil compaction, destruction, and elimination of vegetation cover and changes the soil texture. So, rain no longer penetrates the soil, and the plants will lose the water they need to grow. The livestock population is around three times higher today than the capacity of the rangelands in Iran. The consequence of such conditions results in devastating floods, loss of lives, economic damages, and destruction of people’s livelihood.
Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Exceeds 499,400
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Saturday, January 22, 2022, that the COVID-19 death toll in 547 cities across Iran has exceeded 499,400. The number of victims in Tehran has reached 116,635, Khorasan Razavi 40,210, Isfahan 34,635, Khuzestan 30,140, Fars 18,910, West Azerbaijan 18,838, East Azerbaijan 17,248, Qom 13,415, and Central Province 9,113.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – January 22, 2022
