THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 6:30 PM
Sudan Civil War: Are Iranian Drones Helping The Army Gain Ground?
April 10 (Reuters) – A year into Sudan’s civil war, Iranian-made armed drones have helped the army turn the tide of the conflict, halting the progress of the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Force and regaining territory around the capital, a senior army source told Reuters.
Six Iranian sources, regional officials and diplomats – who, like the army source, asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the information – also told Reuters the military had acquired Iranian-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the past few months.
The Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) used some older UAVs in the first months of the war alongside artillery batteries and fighter jets, but had little success in rooting out RSF fighters embedded in heavily populated neighbourhoods in Khartoum and other cities, more than a dozen Khartoum residents said.
In January, nine months after fighting erupted, much more effective drones began operating from the army’s Wadi Sayidna base to the north of Khartoum, according to five eyewitnesses living in the area.
UPDATE: 1:30 PM
Scott Calls for Decisive Action to Bolster National Security, Protect American Families
Washington, D.C. – Today, Ranking Member Tim Scott (R-S.C.) called on the Biden administration to take decisive action to bolster our national security and protect the safety of American families. During a Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing with the U.S. Department of Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo, Ranking Member Scott pressed the Deputy Secretary on the Biden administration’s pattern of sanctions relief to adversarial nations that have hurt U.S. national security interests.
The Ranking Member has led legislation to restrict Iran’s access to the funding it could use to facilitate terrorism. In addition, the Ranking Member continues to push for the passage of his FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which targets the illicit fentanyl supply chain.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM
Khamenei Admits to Accelerating Crises in The New Year
On Thursday, the dollar surpassed 640,000 rials. This rapid increase in the exchange rate is a clear indication of the plummeting and uncontrollable decline in the national currency, reflecting the rapid collapse of Iran’s economy. The extent of this collapse is so apparent and undeniable that on April 3, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei himself was compelled to dedicate a significant portion of his speech during a meeting with government officials to address it.
Khamenei, whose concern is not Iran’s economy but rather fear of a societal explosion and the threat of nationwide uprisings, said, “The bitter aspect related to the economy is inflation, market instability, and the devaluation of the national currency. It is the class divide.”
However, he sarcastically and deceptively mentioned the sweet realities of the economy and said, “The sweet aspect relates to the extensive infrastructural activities that are taking place, and their results will become apparent in the medium term if not the long term.”
Student Activist Fahime Soltani Rearrested in Central Iran
Student activist Fahime Soltani was arrested for the second time after being summoned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Intelligence Department in the central city of Isfahan. She was transferred to an unknown location.
Soltani was also arrested during the nationwide protests and sentenced to temporary suspension from education.
According to sources close to Fahime Soltani’s family, she was summoned on April 3 by Isfahan University for an examination of her case but did not go because she was contacted after hours. She was then summoned to the IRGC’s Intelligence Department where she was arrested.
The Crushing Grip of Poverty in Iran: A Looming Social Crisis
In 2018, the World Bank painted a concerning picture of poverty in Iran. Their report indicated that 0.5%, translating to roughly 420,000 people, lived below the absolute poverty line, surviving on less than $1.90 per day. However, the situation appears far worse according to the Iranian regime’s own Research Center. Their 2018 report estimated a range of 23% to 40% of the total population living below the poverty line.
By October 2020, the situation had taken a drastic turn for the worse. The Research Center again issued a report, this time revealing a staggering statistic: over 60% of Iranians were now struggling below the poverty line. This dramatic rise coincided with a precipitous drop in the value of the Iranian currency. The poverty line itself had skyrocketed to a staggering 20 million tomans per month.
Iran’s Workers in Absolute Poverty
Faramarz Tofighi, a labor activist in Iran, believes that increasing the approved wages will have no effect on improving the conditions and eliminating the disparity between income and expenses, and for this reason, one should not wait for an increase in gross national product.
Tofighi told the regime’s ILNA news agency that under these conditions, there is no inclination to employ young people aged 19 to 28, and there will be no motivation for production. According to Tofighi, the wages are unfairly set, and the government is continuously evading the law.
He described the Labor Minister of Ebrahim Raisi’s government as the “flagbearer of lawlessness” and emphasized that the minister not only does not consider Article 41 of the Labor Law important but also sees himself above the law and has claimed that the labor law should be amended.
The Iranian Judiciary Opposed The Temporary Release Of Mashallah Karami
The defense lawyer of Mashallah Karami, the father of Mohammad Mehdi Karami who was executed, announced that despite nearly eight months of temporary detention, the head of Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj opposed the temporary release of Mr. Karami. Ali Sharifzadeh Ardakani, on his X page (former Twitter), wrote: “The court session to review my client’s charges will be held on April 23, 2024, at Branch 2 of the Revolutionary Court in Karaj. Unfortunately, the request to convert the temporary detention into appropriate bail and grant his release was not approved.”
On August 22, 2023, Mashallah Karami was arrested for filing a complaint on behalf of his son, Mohammad Mehdi Karami, when security forces raided his home in Karaj. He was transferred to the detention center of the Intelligence Department in that city.
A Prisoner’s Narrative: Inside Iran’s Infamous Prison (1)
On one of the cold days of early winter in 1984, when I was imprisoned in the “Dead Men’s Hotel” in Isfahan, central Iran, I was unexpectedly transferred to another cell by a member of the Revolutionary Guards who was in charge of the prison. As soon as I removed my blindfold, I realized that my new cell had a restroom. I was relieved and took a deep breath. I had been spending about two months in solitary confinement. From the very beginning, walking was very difficult and painful for me due to severe injuries to my feet caused by torture and cable beatings. Now they had brought me to a cell that had a restroom. One of the advantages of having this restroom was that I didn’t have to wait for my turn and the assistance of a guard every time I needed to use it, especially with the condition kidney bleeding and the specific physical conditions I had developed after several sessions of cable beatings.
Bern—April 8, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Bern, Switzerland—April 8, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to support the Iranian Revolution.
MEK supporters in Bern called for the leaders of the Iranian regime, particularly Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi, to be put on trial in an international court for crimes against humanity.
The Iranian community in Bern also demanded Raisi’s trial, citing his crime-filled record including the massacre of political prisoners in 1988, the increasing executions in Iran, the brutal suppression of women, the acceleration of Iran’s nuclear program, and the regime’s sponsorship of terrorism and warmongering in the region.
Manchester, England—April 6, 2024: Freedom-Loving Iranians Organize an Exhibition to Support the Iranian Revolution
Manchester, England—April 6, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians, and academics living in England supporting the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book exhibition, and petition collection in support of the Iranian Revolution, political prisoners, and stop torture and executions.
This Exhibition also aimed to protest the escalating wave of executions in Iran, highlighting the oppressive rule of the mullahs’ regime.
Iranian community in Manchester demanded the trial of the mullahs’ regime leaders, especially Ali Khamenei (Supreme leader of the mullahs’ regime) and the mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi for crimes against humanity, in an international court.
Ottawa, Canada—April 6, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity with the Iranian Revolution, Honoring PMOI Martyrs on April 8, 2011 in Ashraf
Ottawa, Canada—April 6, 2024: Despite snowy and freezing weather, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Zurich—April 8, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Zurich, Switzerland—April 8, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to support the Iranian Revolution.
