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UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET
Deepening Divisions in Regime’s Leadership as Iran Nears 2022 Uprising Anniversary
Mansour Haghighatpour, a former member of the regime’s parliament, reported the intensification of the power struggle between parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf and Ebrahim Raisi’s government.
“The group that is now standing up to Qalibaf had disagreements with him from the beginning,” Haghighatpour told the state-run Entekhab news website on August 19. “However, these disagreements have escalated into a significant division, and those who seek elimination are now aiming to remove Qalibaf. This ongoing process of internal purging has progressed to the point where, following the removal of figures like Nategh-Nouri, Rafsanjani, and Larijani, their attention has shifted toward Qalibaf.”
He added: “Those people, who have concealed themselves behind the government, also view Qalibaf as an obstacle and are seeking his removal. Therefore, these contradictions represent a real discord.”
Entekhab also noted, “The conflict between Qalibaf’s team and Raisi has become public, and the differences in the current circumstances and the attack on Qalibaf by the Paydari Front have become more serious now.”
Unapologetic Shiite Cleric Blasts Corruption in Iraq and Lebanon, and Attempts to Silence Him
BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese Shiite cleric who has angered politicians and religious leaders in Lebanon and Iraq said Friday that groups including Lebanon’s militant Hezbollah are trying to silence voices of dissent within the sect — including his own.
Sheikh Yasser Auda has developed a reputation on social media in recent years for his criticism of corruption in Iraq and Lebanon. He has also spoken out against the use of violence against opponents of Iran-backed groups in the two crisis-hit countries. He vowed in an interview with The Associated Press on Friday not to bow down even if it costs him is life.
His comments came two days after a department within The Supreme Islamic Shiite Council of Lebanon, the country’s top Shiite religious authority, issued a statement naming 15 clerics whom it said are not qualified to provide religious guidance. Auda was at the top of the list and was almost stripped of his religious status.
UK Needs To Refocus on Middle East, Says Foreign Affairs Committee Chief
The UK needs a greater focus on its relations with the Middle East after tilting too far towards the Indo-Pacific, the chairwoman of the UK Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee has said.
Alicia Kearns told The National that Gulf states are looking to “step up” on the world stage and Britain needed to be “part of those conversations”.
In a wide-ranging interview, Ms Kearns said the UK needs to rethink its stance and not forget its historic ties to the region. She also told The National:
- Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps should be designated a terrorist organisation even if that means the UK’s embassy in Tehran is shut down.
- Tehran will continue to take dual citizen hostages and the West must not pay ransom for their release.
UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET
Sunday Protests in Iran
Retired citizens affiliated with the Social Security organization came together in Shush, Kermanshah, and Isfahan on Sunday, August 20, to voice their concerns.
In Shush, retired members of the Social Security organization once again gathered outside the local office, denouncing the substandard living conditions and the lack of responsiveness to their requests. During their protest and march, they chanted slogans like “A bankrupt government has become the enemy of retirees.”
In Isfahan, retired steel industry workers held a protest gathering, chanting, “What happened to our prosperous country?”
Kermanshah – Retired individuals from the Social Security organization held a protest gathering with the slogan, “A bankrupt government has become the enemy of retirees.”
Shush – Retired individuals from the Social Security organization held a protest gathering and marched in protest.
A Tanker Believed To Hold Sanctioned Iran Oil Starts Offloading Near Texas Despite Tehran’s Threats
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — An American-owned oil tanker long suspected of carrying sanctioned Iranian crude oil began offloading its cargo near Texas late Saturday, tracking data showed, even as Tehran has threatened to target shipping in the Persian Gulf over it.
Ship-tracking data analyzed by The Associated Press showed the Marshall Islands-flagged Suez Rajan was undergoing a ship-to-ship transfer of its oil to another tanker, the MR Euphrates, near Galveston, some 70 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of Houston.
The fate of the cargo aboard the Suez Rajan has become mired in the wider tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic, even as Tehran and Washington work toward a trade of billions of dollars in frozen Iranian assets in South Korea for the release of five Iranian-Americans held in Tehran.
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Ukraine Shoots Down 15 Out of 17 Iranian-Made Shahed Drones Deployed by Russia
AFP – Ukrainian defenses shot down 15 Russian drones during an overnight attack, Kyiv’s air force said Saturday. It said 17 Iranian-made Shahed drones were used in the aerial assault, and did not specify what happened to the other two. Russian forces “attacked from the north with ‘Shahed-136/131’ attack UAVs. A total of 17 attack drones were launched from the Kursk region,” the Ukrainian force said on Telegram. It added that air defenses were activated in “northern and central, as well as in the western regions”.
“15 enemy drones were destroyed by the forces and means of the Air Force in cooperation with the air defense systems of other components of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.”
Inquiry Into British Charity Linked to Iran That Celebrates Hate Preachers
The Charity Commission has begun investigating a British foundation formally linked to the Iranian state, which has hosted hardline Islamic clerics and paramilitary figures.
The watchdog has opened a compliance case into the Al-Tawheed Charitable Trust, an organisation that purports to “relieve poverty and sickness of persons who profess the Islamic religion in the UK”.
It owns and operates the Kanoon Towhid, or Centre for Monotheism. The repurposed Methodist church in Hammersmith, west London, glorifies Ayatollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran’s Islamic revolution, and promotes regime propaganda among Shia Muslim youth in the UK.
On January 5, 2020, it hosted a packed event celebrating Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, an elite division of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which oversees clandestine
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
MEK Resistance Units in Zahedan: No to Shah, No to Mullahs!
On Friday, August 18, members of Resistance Units, a network of activists inside Iran affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), in Zahedan carried out anti-regime activities despite a growing wave of repressive measures by the regime. Zahedan has been one of the hotbeds of the nationwide uprising that began in September 2022. Every Friday, locals held protest rallies and chanted slogans against regime leader Ali Khamenei and the regime’s suppressive entities, including the Revolutionary Guards and the Basij. As one of the main victims of the Shah and mullahs’ dictatorships, the people of Sistan and Baluchestan have been very vocal in rejecting all forms of dictatorships. “Death to the tyrant, be it the Shah or the supreme leader!” has been one of the main slogans of protest in Zahedan and other cities of Sistan and Baluchestan.
Desperate in Countering Domestic Dissent, Raisi Urges Intensified Espionage Efforts
On August 19, during a session named “Government Popularization,” the clerical regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi urged the regime’s supporters to intensify their use of espionage and dissemination of false information.
He asserted, “The exposure of numerous conspiracies is now being orchestrated by the citizens themselves. In the past, we aspired to a 36 million-strong army; however, today, it is imperative to acknowledge that people across the nation independently report suspicious activities and take initiative in addressing them.”
“Our mosques and influential congregations possess the potential to substantially contribute as a cornerstone of national security within our society,” he added, “Presently, the subject of security is primarily reported through our information channels by ordinary citizens. This encompasses activities related to counter-revolutionary movements, dissenting voices, opponents, and those harboring conspiratorial intentions. The citizens are the informants. The unearthing of numerous plots is orchestrated by the people themselves. Today, it is essential to recognize that citizens across the entire country assume responsibility for upholding societal security. They are actively engaging in reporting and follow-up actions. The robust functioning of our administrative framework heavily relies on the conscientiousness of capable, steadfast personnel, individuals deeply rooted in Hezbollah beliefs, and responsible members within institutions and organizations.”
Contradictions in Iran’s Press Freedom Claims
As Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Iranian regime, publicly declared the assurance of freedom of expression and press, the reality on the ground paints a starkly different picture. This proclamation, made on August 17 to coincide with Journalist’s Day in Iran, contrasts sharply with the harsh truth that numerous journalists in the country remain behind bars or are entangled in legal battles. Despite Raisi’s assertion, the Iranian press landscape remains marred by the suppression of dissenting voices. A multitude of journalists find themselves in the clutches of incarceration, facing charges, or enduring oppressive legal proceedings. The very essence of freedom of the press seems to be at odds with the current state of media affairs in the nation. In a perplexing twist, Raisi extended gratitude towards those journalists who are striving to counter what he referred to as the “news and media flow of the enemy.” He implied that this act was tantamount to engaging in a media war, emphasizing the concept of cognitive warfare. However, this acknowledgment rings hollow in the context of the stifling atmosphere that many journalists in Iran are experiencing.
Iran: Water Transfer Projects Excluded From “Environmental Assessment”
Iranian regime media have reported that according to the decisions of the water sector in the “Seventh Development Plan” in the Agriculture Commission of the regime’s Majlis (parliament), “water transfer projects” have been excluded from “environmental assessment.”
According to the Didbaniran website, water transfer projects no longer require approval from relevant authorities such as the Environmental Protection Organization or the Organization of Cultural Heritage. As a result, these projects only need to obtain “technical approvals” and approval from the Supreme Water Council. Therefore, according to this report, most of the current “water transfer” projects, which are labeled as “drinking water supply,” have been met with objections from the public and environmental activists, who believe that these projects are actually intended for “industrial and agricultural water supply.”
Nika Shakarami
Nika Shakarami was born on October 2, 2005, in Khorramabad, Lorestan province, in western Iran. She lived with her aunt Atash Shakrami in Tehran. The 17-year-old young woman was abducted and murdered by the IRGC’s security forces at Tehran’s Keshavarz Blvd on September 20, 2022, during Iran protests. Her friends, who were with her during the protests, say Nika continued to chant slogans ceaselessly and was fearless. According to available information, her last known communication was a message sent to one of her friends around 7:00 PM. Nika Shakarami said security forces were chasing her, and she was running away. Nika’s family went looking for her everywhere in prisons, detention centers, police stations, and even the forensic pathologist of Kahrizak Prison.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 19, 2023