THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:30 PM CET
US State Department Sanctioning Operatives Involved in Iranian External Plots
The United States remains committed to exposing and disrupting plots by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to carry out violence abroad. For decades, the IRGC has engaged in many assassination attempts, terrorist plots, and other violence against those whom the Iranian regime views as enemies, including through ongoing plots against U.S. citizens and former United States government officials. Today, the United States is designating five members or affiliates of the IRGC and its external operations arm, the IRGC-Qods Force, who have participated in a series of external plots or have been involved in targeting former United States government officials, foreign nationals, and Iranian dissidents abroad. We are also designating Rey Havacilik Ithalat Ihracat Sanayi Ve Ticaret Anonim Sirketi (Rey Airlines), which is owned, controlled, or directed by one of these individuals.
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
Treasury Designates Iranian Regime Operatives Involved in Assassination Plots in the United States and Abroad
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is designating members and affiliates of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its external operations arm, the IRGC-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), who have participated in a series of terrorist plots including assassination plots targeting former United States government officials, dual U.S. and Iranian nationals, and Iranian dissidents. This action targets three Iran- and Türkiye-based individuals and a company affiliated with the IRGC-QF, along with two senior officials of the IRGC’s Intelligence Organization (IRGC-IO), who have been involved in plotting external lethal operations against civilians including journalists and activists.
Iran Protests at a Glance
Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran
Thursday, June 1, 2023. 8 PM GMT
People from all walks of life in Iran have been taking to the streets to voice their protests, especially over economic difficulties.
June 1 – Tehran, #Iran
Shareholders of the regime's bankrupt "Ayandeh Bank" are demanding their savings be provided to them. Bank security guards eventually attacked the peaceful rally, leaving a number of people injured.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/ZB8kHipeBQ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 1, 2023
Shareholders of the regime’s bankrupt “Ayandeh Bank” in Tehran held a protest gathering on Thursday, demanding their savings be provided to them.
Locals in the districts of Tehranpars and Sadeghiyeh of the Iranian capital Tehran were in the streets on Wednesday night and chanting anti-regime slogans, including “Down with the dictator!” in a reference to regime dictator Ali Khamenei.
May 31 – Tehran, #Iran
Locals in the capital's Tehranpars district were in the streets chanting anti-regime slogans, including:
"Down with the dictator!"#IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/26N188AFZT— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 1, 2023
Two Baluchi inmates by the names of Aria Parvizi and Ashkan Sohrabi were executed early Thursday morning in Kahnuj Prison located in Kerman Province, south-central Iran.
May 31 – Tehran, #Iran
Locals in the capital's Sadeghiyeh district were chanting anti-regime slogans, including:
"Down with the dictator!"#IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/Vjxd7GOwq7— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 1, 2023
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
State Official Asks Regime’s Diplomats to Be Active Against MEK
During an interview on state TV, Kazem Gharibabadi, the Judiciary’s Deputy for International Affairs and Human Rights called on the regime’s diplomats to increase activities against the Mujahedin-e-Khalq Organization.
Following a lengthy monologue about the regime’s grievances concerning the MEK, Gharibabadi said: “We have up to 130 embassies and consulates abroad within the framework of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as 60 or 70 cultural advisors, maybe even 80. You can see, there is a capacity of 200 heads of representative units. That means ambassadors, consul generals, cultural advisors, etc. We expect each of these people to conduct an interview, write and publish an article in the local media, and if possible, conduct a speech at a university. If they don’t find anyone among the people in those countries who can do this job, and if they do this themselves, we would have two hundred articles.”
UPDATE: 10:00 AM CET
Stop the Execution Spree in Iran
The Iranian authorities are carrying out a horrific state-sanctioned killing spree under the guise of judicial executions. Those executed include people convicted of drug-related offences, protesters, political dissidents, and members of oppressed ethnic minorities. Call for states to urgently intervene to pressure the Iranian authorities to halt all executions now. The Iranian authorities are ruthlessly carrying out an execution spree. Prisons across the country have become sites of mass state-sanctioned killings under the guise of judicial executions. Since the start of 2023, authorities have implemented hundreds of death sentences. In the month of May alone, authorities executed three people a day on average. This arbitrary deprivation of people’s lives must stop.
Iranian Dissidents’ Claim of Presidential Hack Likely Legitimate, Experts Say
A trove of documents, images, and videos from the offices of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi posted online Monday appear to be authentic, cybersecurity experts familiar with the matter told CyberScoop on Wednesday. The materials posted to a Telegram channel Monday by a group called “GhyamSarnegouni” (“Rise to Overthrow”) include alleged diplomatic correspondence, floor plans for the offices and sleeping quarters of the Iranian president and other top government offices, detailed network topologies for sensitive Iranian government networks and more.
GhyamSarnegouni emerged on Telegram on Jan. 26, 2022, and is one of many anti-Iranian government groups online purporting to hack Iranian government systems as a form of protest. From its early days, its messaging has echoed the prominent Iranian opposition group Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), Rashidi said, suggesting an affiliation of some kind.
Dissident Group: Iran Has ‘Very Elaborate’ Oil Sanctions Evasion Operation
Iran is financing its military and internal security forces by exporting billions of dollars worth of oil through a network of international companies that evade U.S. sanctions, confidential internal documents released by an exiled Iranian dissident group show. Companies operated by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have facilitated sales not only of Iranian crude but also the international transport of sanctioned Venezuelan oil, with China as a primary buyer, according to the documents the National Council of Resistance of Iran made public Wednesday.
The group pushed the claims at a press conference in Washington amid rising U.S. concern over the Guard’s political and economic power in Tehran, as well as growing international unease over the regime’s nuclear activities. Considered the protector of the 1979 Iranian Revolution, the IRGC was officially designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization by the Trump administration in 2019.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Maryam Rajavi’s Meetings at the European Parliament
Maryam Rajavi had separate meetings with several MEPs at the European Parliament during her visit. In these meetings, she provided an overview of the situation in Iran, including the regime’s actions, the ongoing uprising, and the role of the Iranian Resistance. She called for a firm policy against the mullahs’ regime. Mrs. Rajavi emphasized that the Iranian people are against appeasement of the religious fascism ruling Iran. She highlighted that this policy has primarily benefited Khamenei while making the Iranian people and the Resistance its primary victims over the past 34 years.
The people of Iran want the Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the mullahs’ Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) designated as terrorist entities and the closure of the regime’s embassies.
Maryam Rajavi Meets Javier Zarzalejos and Jan Zahradil at the European Parliament
During her visit to Brussels, where she delivered a speech titled “Iran: Perspectives for Change and EU Policy” at a European Parliament conference, Maryam Rajavi held meetings with Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) representing various European countries and parliamentary groups. In her meeting with Mr. Javier Zarzalejos, co-chairman of the Friends of a Free Iran (FOFI) parliamentary intergroup, Mrs. Rajavi expressed her gratitude for his and FOFI members’ efforts. They discussed the situation in Iran, including the brutal executions carried out by the religious dictatorship, the regime’s impasse, and the state of the uprising and Resistance. Mrs. Rajavi called for increased efforts in Europe to halt the hangings in Iran and to adopt a firm policy against the tyranny of the mullahs.
Protesters Across Iran Launch New Protests, Attacks as Economic Woes Increase
Iran’s nationwide uprising is witnessing its 258th day on Wednesday as people from strata of Iran’s society are protesting their economic woes. The regime’s corrupt policies and incompetence, and the mullahs’ continued support for terrorism while wasting billions on their nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs have plunged tens of millions of people into poverty across Iran. This has become a major source of security concerns for the regime and its oppressive forces that are focused on keeping a lid on the country’s restive society. In parallel to these concerning circumstances, brave youths in different cities have been constantly targeting regime sites in their attacks. A state police station in Bushehr of southern Iran and a building of the regime’s so-called judiciary in Karaj are the latest targets.
Iran’s Oppressive Chastity and Hijab Law Strips Women’s Rights
After eight months of deliberation, the Iranian Judiciary passed the bill on the Chastity and Hijab law to Raisi’s government on April 22, 2023. The government passed it on to the parliament on May 21 for final adoption, turning it into legislation. (The state-run Hamshahrionline.ir, May 30, 2023). The Chastity and Hijab Plan is widely viewed as another instance of the government’s oppressive measures against women and human rights. The legislation, which has raised significant concerns, was reported by state media on May 24. According to the provisions outlined in the bill, failure to comply with the mandatory Hijab is equated with “nudity” and would result in increasingly severe penalties, including fines and the deprivation of social rights. Repeat offenders could face imprisonment ranging from six months to three years.
The Iranian Regime’s Destabilizing Influence in the Middle East
In recent decades, the Middle East has experienced a complex web of conflicts, tensions, and power struggles that have left lasting scars on the region and its people. Amidst this turmoil, one factor has consistently emerged as a significant source of destabilization and turmoil: the Iranian regime. With its aggressive geopolitical agenda and ideological fervor, the regime has played a prominent role in exacerbating regional tensions and undermining the stability of neighboring countries. By delving into the historical context and contemporary developments, it becomes evident that the Iran regime’s actions have had far-reaching implications, posing formidable challenges to peace, security, and the well-being of the region’s inhabitants.
The Politics of “Non-Violence in Iran”: Insult or Surrender?
The concept of non-violence, in its three dimensions of word usage, determination of the type and form of struggle, and the responsibility and duty of advocates of non-violence, as well as their goals, is a topic that nowadays has been used as a means to preserve the existing system by some groups. In this article, we intend to delve into the real origins of these groups. The term “non-violence” that has been widely used in the past year inside and outside of Iran is, from the perspective of its terminology, a mistaken expression. This term is addressed to people and youths who come to the streets to stand against a dictator. It is as if the people and the revolutionary, rebellious generation who come to the streets to fight are intending to be violent.
Canada, Ottawa, and Vancouver: MEK Supporters Held Protest Rallies Against the Appeasement Policy and the Release of Iran’s Regime Diplomat-Terrorist
Canada, Ottawa, and Vancouver—May 27-28, 2023: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and freedom-loving Iranians held protest rallies against the appeasement policy and the release of Iran’s regime diplomat-terrorist Assadollah Assadi. They also express their solidarity with the ongoing Iranian Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – May 31, 2023