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Iran Launches Unprecedented Retaliatory Strikes On Israel In Major Escalation Of Widening Conflict
Iran launched an unprecedented large-scale drone and missile attack at Israel on Saturday night, in retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on an Iranian diplomatic complex in Syria, bringing the long-running shadow war between the two sides into the open and raising the prospect of full-blown regional conflict.
More than 300 projectiles – including around 170 drones and over 120 ballistic missiles – were fired toward Israel in an immense aerial attack overnight, but “99%” of them were intercepted by Israel’s aerial defense systems and its “partners,” according to the Israeli military.
The reprisals marked the first time the Islamic Republic has launched a direct assault on Israel from its soil, marking a dangerous new inflection point in the fast-widening Middle East conflict.
Resistance Units in Zahedan Reject All Forms Of Dictatorship
PMOI Resistance Units in the city of Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan province, resumed their anti-regime activities on Friday. Amid ongoing struggles for freedom and democracy, these resistance units expressed their demands through poignant messages that echo the Iranian people’s aspirations for liberation. They reiterated their commitment to the fight for freedom with placards with slogans such as “From Zahedan to Tehran, I sacrifice my life for Iran,” symbolizing the unwavering determination and solidarity of people across Iran to overthrow the regime and establish a democratic republic.
Under the slogan “Down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the mullahs” and “The guiding light of resistance in Baluchestan is the rejection of the shah and mullahs’ regimes,” the members of the Resistance Units in Zahedan clearly expressed their disdain for dictatorial regimes of the past and present.
Iran’s Regime Futilely Tries to Paint A Rosy Picture of The Economy
The economic crisis plaguing Iran has reached unimaginable proportions. It has almost reached the point where a worthless banknote is paid for a few pieces of potatoes, like the situation in Germany before World War II. The German government at that time printed so much unsupported money that the currency itself had lost its symbolic value, to the extent that one US dollar was equivalent to 4 trillion German marks, and common banknotes were used as notepads.
Now, under the rule of the mullahs, it seems that Iran is replicating the worst economic and living conditions of warmongering and invading governments in neighboring lands.
In these early days of the new year, Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei and his entourage in the executive branch, led by regime president Ebrahim Raisi, continuously spoke well about the looted and bankrupt state of the economy and tried to offer hope. However, the response by economists reveals the bitter truth of Iran’s economy.
Iran’s Destabilizing Activities Condemned by the EU
The European Union has strongly condemned the Iranian regime’s continued destabilizing activities in the Middle East, including its activities with ballistic and cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and transfers of such advanced weaponry to state and non-state actors.
In a statement, the EU delegation to the Vienna-based international organizations said, “The European Union is extremely concerned about reports that Iran may transfer ballistic missiles and related technology to Russia for use against Ukraine after having already supplied the Russian regime with UAVs that are being used in relentless attacks against the civilian population in Ukraine.”
The EU stated that it “is prepared to respond swiftly and in coordination with international partners, including with new and significant restrictive measures against Iran, should Iran proceed with such transfers.”
Iranian Nurses Hold Protests against Forced Overtime Work and More
Nurses of Golestan and Baghai hospitals in Ahvaz, the capital of southwestern Khuzestan Province, held protest rallies on Saturday, April 13, 2024, protesting forced overtime work, unpaid wages, and changes to tariff laws.
The healthcare workers in Bagh-e Malek, Khuzestan Province, also held a rally outside the Governor’s Office on Saturday, April 13, 2024, protesting the lack of accurate tariff laws, failure to pay bonuses, and forced overtime work.
Zahra Jafari, Tehran University Student, Banned from Education for Her Political Activities
The disciplinary appeal committee of Tehran University sentenced Zahra Jafari to a two-and-a-half-year ban on continuing her education.
Zahra Jafari, a master’s student studying social welfare planning at Tehran University and the editor of the student magazine “Zhina,” was previously arrested during the 2022 nationwide protests in Tehran.
The report carried by the state-run Sharq daily said the Disciplinary Appeals Committee of Tehran University accused the master’s student of making threats, provocation, throwing insults, obscenity, defamation, slander, and publishing falsehoods insulting Islamic and national sanctities, the official religions of the country, or committing acts against the state.
Lack of Medical Resources in Iran’s Health System
The lack of equipment, specialized doctors, and improper distribution of medical and specialist facilities continue to plague Iran’s health system. Despite adding about 50,000 hospital beds in the last decade, the number of beds per thousand people is less than 2. While the global average is 3.1 hospital beds per thousand people, this number is much higher in high-income countries like Japan and South Korea, with 10 beds per thousand people.
According to government reports, between 2013 and 2020, around 56,000 hospital beds were added to the country’s treatment capacity. However, this was not enough to overcome the shortcomings, and hospitals are still witnessing an influx of patients from cities to provincial centers. Most hospitals in major provincial centers like Tehran and Mashhad are overwhelmed, with families waiting outside to find a bed for their loved ones.
Iran’s Regime Seizes Ship in Hormuz Strait
A video seen by the Associated Press shows Iranian commandos attacking a ship near the Strait of Hormuz, an attack that a Middle Eastern defense official attributes to the Iranian regime amid broader tensions between Tehran and the West.
The Tasnim news agency, affiliated with Iranian regime security agencies, confirmed this news shortly after the publication of reports by foreign media and wrote, “The naval commandos of the Revolutionary Guards seized a cargo ship affiliated with the Zionist regime in the Persian Gulf region this afternoon.”
This video depicts an attack previously reported by the British Royal Navy’s Maritime Trade Operations Institute. The institute had reported the “detention of this ship by regional authorities” in the Gulf of Oman near the port city of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, without providing details.
Iranian Women’s Rights Under Threat: Khamenei’s New Decree in 2024
Women’s rights have been denied under the authoritarian regime of Iran. As anticipated, following the sham election on March 1, 2024, a new wave of suppression against Iranian women has begun at the order of Khamenei.”
As anticipated, following the sham election on March 1, 2024, a new wave of suppression against Iranian women has begun at the order of Khamenei. Khamenei himself, in his Eid al-Fitr at the end of Ramazan sermon on Thursday, April 10, 2024, cautioned governmental elements against “shortcomings” in the face of “religious non-conformity.” He explicitly ordered Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, to carry out their duty in this regard.” Women are the primary targets in this new phase of suppression.
Paris—April 12, 2024: MEK Supporters Organized an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Paris, France—April 12, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition and book table in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.