THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 5:00 PM CET
60% of Iran Plagued by Dust Storm and Air Pollution
As a result of the regime’s exploitative policies and the absence of sufficient infrastructure development, the majority of regions in Iran are now been plagued by air pollution and dust particles.
In an article, titled The Dust Storm Army Reaches the North, the state-run Ham Mihan newspaper wrote on August 27, “In an unprecedented occurrence, 60% of the country has been hit by varying intensities of dust storms; dust storms that have affected the provinces of Golestan, Khorasan, and Mazandaran, causing excessive air pollution in northern cities.”
According to the daily, the spread of dust and sand hasn’t been limited to just these provinces; southwestern and eastern provinces, as well as Qom, Semnan, and even Tehran, have also been grappling with dust and the crisis it brings. The Secretary of the National Dust and Sandstorm Task Force predicts that these conditions will persist until September of this year.
Reporting dust storms in various provinces, the state-run website Entekhab wrote on August 26, “The passenger train departing at 18:55 from Mashhad to Sarakhs was canceled due to sand and dust storms along these rail lines and insufficient visibility. Karaj is also facing a highly hazardous situation of air pollution.”
Monday Protests in Iran
Today, August 28, a group of retired telecommunications workers gathered for a protest in cities including Isfahan, Shiraz, Kerman, Ilam, Ahvaz, Karaj, Rasht, Sanandaj, Sari, and Mashhad. They expressed their grievances over unmet demands, such as the full implementation of the 2010 personnel and employment regulations and resolving healthcare insurance issues. This protest marks another instance of their weekly Monday demonstrations outside the Telecommunications Company.
August 28—Mashhad, northeast #Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran resume protest rallies, demanding higher pensions and other basic needs.
"We will continue our protests until we get our rights!" the protesters are chanting.pic.twitter.com/Pfwy29BlNd— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 28, 2023
August 28—Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran resume their protests to achieve their demands for higher pensions.
"Implement your own laws!" the protesters are chanting.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/S4SfFhJLTh— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 28, 2023
Also today, wheat farmers in Darab county, in the central Fars Province, staged a protest in front of the local government office, expressing their discontent over the authorities’ refusal to settle their payments.
August 28—Darab, southern #Iran
Wheat farmers hold protest rally in front of the governorate, demanding receiving overdue payments for the purchase of their crops.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/5VkQXyYnfb— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 28, 2023
Workers of the Arak Machinery Manufacturing company gathered in front of the provincial government office of the regime to hold a protest, calling for their demands to be addressed.
Tabriz, northwest #Iran
The regime has deployed IRGC troops across the city as tensions rise and protests increase to the regime's destructive policies that have resulted in the drying up of Lake Urmia.pic.twitter.com/ehu18HTIlo— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 28, 2023
August 27—Tehran, #Iran
Disabled people hold rally, protesting the lack of implementation of a law that requires the government to provide the basic needs of disabled people who can't work.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/LmktaXpGeT— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 27, 2023
World Bank Report: Iran Ranks 147th in Global Fixed Broadband Speed Due to Internet Censorship
In a report about Iran’s economy, the World Bank highlighted the regime’s internet censorship policy during the uprising.
It revealed that under the control of the clerics, Iran is ranked 147th out of 181 countries globally in terms of fixed broadband speed test.
The report says in part, “Recently, Iran faced further challenges with internet disruptions and limited access to certain online platforms and applications in the aftermath of protests in the country. According to an online survey conducted by the computer union organization, during the internet disruption in September 2022, over 41 percent of companies experienced a loss of 25 to 50 percent of their income, while 47 percent of them lost more than half of their sales. The cost of internet disruptions is estimated to be as high as US$36 million per day (according to NetBlocks). Furthermore, Iran’s rank in the fixed broadband speed test is 147 out of 181 countries, highlighting its slow internet speed (speedtest.net).”
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iranian Retirees to Raisi: “Your Promises Were Lies!”
Retirees and pensioners of the Iranian regime’s Social Security Organization and steel industry returned to the streets in several cities on Sunday to protest the deteriorating conditions of their lives and the regime’s destructive policies. Rallies were reported in Isfahan, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Karaj, Shush, Shushtar, and Dezful. In the past few years, retirees across Iran have been protesting their deteriorating living conditions, especially as the government refuses to adjust their pensions based on the inflation rate and fluctuations in the price of the rial, Iran’s national currency. The price of most basic goods has spiked severalfold while pensioners continue to receive the same stipends as before. In Ahvaz, the protesters were chanting, “High prices and inflation are destroying the people’s lives!”
Raisi’s Broken Pledge of 4 Million Housing Units in 4 Years
The promise by the Iran regime’s President Ebrahim Raisi to construct 4 million housing units within a four-year timeframe is now under scrutiny, as a recent report from the regime’s Parliament Research Center sheds light on eight distinct forms of homelessness within Iran during the rule of the mullahs. This report raises the question: Is the lack of housing a result of policy failure or a deeper governance issue? A thorough examination of the income, expenditures, and exceptional costs incurred during the tenure of this regime casts doubt on the feasibility of Raisi’s ambitious housing agenda. Two years have elapsed since the start of his term, during which his administration has strived to portray the promise’s fulfillment through the presentation of numerical data, despite the evident shortcomings.
Solidarity With Iranian Women’s Struggle in Cuneo, Italy
On July 26, 2023, the people of Cuneo welcomed two representatives from the Iranian Resistance in solidarity with Iranian women’s struggle. Elham and Khosrow Nikzat stood on the balcony of the house of Duccio Galimberti, a national hero of Italy, while accompanied by the mayor of Cuneo, Ms. Partizia Manassero, and its governor, Mr. Luca Robaldo. They spoke about the Iranian people’s resistance and the Iranian women’s struggle. They told the people of Cuneo, “Today, in Iran, we live under religious fascism, which is like the fascism of those days (in your country) in many ways. This is why the words of Duccio Galimberti ring in our ears, just like we were the partisans of those days.”
Khosrow Nikzat is an Iranian physician who works at the hospital of Cuneo. The event in Cuneo marked the 80th anniversary of the speech by Duccio Galimberti who said, “We will continue to struggle until the elimination of the last German Nazist.”
The “Strange” Statistics of The Statistical Center of Iran on Income and Expenses
The Iranian regime’ Statistical Center has announced in its latest report that the income and expense balance of urban and rural households in the past year was “positive” and claimed that the average annual income growth of urban households exceeded the average annual expense growth. This is despite the fact that the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare of the Iranian regime had previously announced in a report that in 2022, the poverty line for a four-person household was 77 million rials (approximately $154) for the entire country and 71.4 million rials (approximately $143) in Tehran. Whereas in 2021, this figure was 45.41 million rials (approximately $91) for the entire country. In recent years, statistical inconsistencies and their mismatch with the country’s economic realities have become the subject of criticism by experts and members of the parliament.
Iran Has Around “9 Million Absolute Illiterates”
The Iranian regime’s treacherous policies towards the education system have created a real national crisis. According to former Minister of Education in Ebrahim Raisi’s government, there are around “9 million absolute illiterates” in Iran. He also mentioned that the number of “children deprived of education” has currently exceeded 160,000, and there is a total of “970,000 children deprived of education” in the country across three educational levels. The existence of over 9 million absolute illiterates signifies “illiteracy exceeding 10 percent of Iran’s population,” indicating a significantly high illiteracy rate in the country. In a television program Yousef Norouzi, the former Minister of Education, said, “Regarding the number of illiterate individuals, according to the 2016 census and statistics announced by the Statistical Center of Iran, we have 8,795,000 illiterate people in Iran.”
Hanover, Germany—August 24, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally and Exhibition in Support of the Iran Revolution
Hanover, Germany—August 24, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally and photo exhibition of the Iranian uprising martyrs in solidarity with the Iran Revolution. They also expressed strong support for the MEK leadership.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – August 27, 2023