THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:30 PM CEST
We Were Told to Stop Coverage for Collapsed Building— IRIB Chief
According to the state-run Eqtesad 24, Peyman Jebli, the head of the state’s Radio and Television Organization said he has been told to stop covering the incident in Abadan following the collapse of the Metropol Complex.
At a meeting with the students of Sharif University in Tehran, Jebeli said: “We lined up the news network to send over to the Metropol site and there were pleads from all over the place to cover it for one or two hours and then to stop it. Covering the protests has some delicacies which can be explained later when we sit down and make up our minds.”
Trying to hide the regime’s fear of popular protests, he argued: “Do you think we should cover the protests or follow up on their demands first? When protests reach the street, you can no longer allow people to express their mental issues. When there is a street protest, the responsibility becomes very serious. How do we cover it when the killing starts and glass begin to break?”
Brave Student Calls Out IRGC Strategist at University
Footage posted by the state-run Mostaqel Online today shows that the speech of the IRGC strategist Hassan Abbasi at a university was interrupted by a student who is protesting his rhetoric and continues to insistently call him out.
While Abbasi is trying to trash talk or belittle him, the student keeps crying: “Name only four economists, you clown!”
Eventually, Abbasi resorts to threatening and several people grab the student and take him away, while some in the crowd say: “Basij is coming in.”
While Abbasi is trying to trash talk and belittle him, the student keeps crying: “Name only four economists, you clown!”#IranProtests
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) May 24, 2022
State Officials Encounter Failed Photo-op in Abadan
When the Iranian regime’s economic vice president Mohsen Rezaei and Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi visited the site of the collapsed building in Abadan, Khuzestan province, to demonstrate compassion and take some photos for the media, they were surrounded by angry residents and the victims’ family members who were protesting the slow and ineffective rescue operation.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CEST
10-Story Tower Collapses in Southwest Iran, Leaving Dozens Killed and Injured
A large portion of the Metropol tower in Abadan, southwest Iran, collapsed Monday morning local time leaving at least seven dead and 31 injured. State media are reporting there is a possibility of more than 50 to 80 other individuals who were shopping in stores adjacent to this building may be trapped under the rubble. Rescue teams from the cities of Ahvaz, Dashte Azadegan, Khorramshahr, Shadegan, and Mahshahar have been dispatched to the scene.
Will Khamenei Compromise on the Iran Nuclear Deal?
Following the recent meeting between Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, and a report broadcasted by Al Jazeera TV, the mullahs’ Foreign Ministry spokesman and state media quickly responded and denied any claims of Khamenei saying he is willing to “compromise” on the Iran nuclear deal dossier.
“First of all, such a take from the meeting is completely wrong. Secondly, it seems Al Jazeera didn’t practice enough precision in their translation and there are some negative intentions involved through the media,” said Iranian regime Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh.
The Death Sentence of a Woman Carried Out in Shiraz, Southern Iran
The death sentence of a woman was carried out in Shiraz, the capital of Fars Province in southern Iran. The clerical regime carried out the death sentence of yet another woman in Adelabad Prison of Shiraz on Sunday, May 22, 2022. The unfortunate woman has been identified only by her last name, “Hayati.”
Ms. Hayati had been sentenced to death by retribution (Qisas) for the deliberate murder of her husband. Ms. Hayati was hanged with a Baluchi man, Abdolbari Rigi, 32.
Tehran Strengthens State Security Forces’ Structure To Quell Protests
Following the Iranian regime’s failure to meet people’s fundamental and rightful demands, Iranians have repeatedly taken to the streets in recent years. However, the authorities responded to society’s cries for essential needs with violence, murdering thousands of citizens and arresting more.
Despite brutal crackdowns on defenseless demonstrators, the protests continued and extended across the country. Observers say that there was at least an uprising in a span of every four months since 2018.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – May 23, 2022