THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Transnational Criminal Organizations Designations; Counter Terrorism Designation; Iran-related Designation
The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The United States and the United Kingdom have taken decisive measures in response to the Quds Force’s support for proxy groups in the Middle East. The sanctions target key individuals involved in these organizations and their ties to Tehran’s support for militant groups.
The comprehensive sanctions, disclosed by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, include the pursuit and penalization of eight individuals. Among them is a Commander of the Quds Force of the IRGC, Majid Zare.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
New Iranian Sanction Regime Comes into Force
The UK’s new Iran sanctions regime comes into force today, giving the UK extensive new powers to hold Iran and its decision-makers to account.
Tragic Death of Baloch Student in Zahedan Under Alleged Torture by IRGC Intelligence Agents
In a deeply distressing incident, Mahmoud Derakhshani, a 19-year-old Baluch student, lost his life under suspicious circumstances while reportedly being subjected to torture by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence Organization in Zahedan.
According to the information released, Mahmoud Derakhshani was apprehended on September 3 by operatives of the IRGC Intelligence Organization in Zahedan. Regrettably, he succumbed to injuries sustained during alleged torture in custody. Sources indicate that Mahmoud fell into a state of unconsciousness due to severe mistreatment and remained in a coma for three months while hospitalized under close surveillance at Zahedan Hospital. Tragically, he passed away on December 11.
The family of the deceased Baluch student was handed his lifeless body under strict conditions by the regime’s agents, who imposed a one-day delay before delivering the news to the family.
Congresswoman Tenney, and Congressman Moskowitz Urge Canada to Designate Iran as a Terrorist Entity
Washington, DC– Congresswoman Claudia Tenney (NY-24), alongside Congressman Jared Moskowitz (FL-23), today sent a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urging his government to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist entity under Canadian law. Additional co-signers of the letter include Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Jim Costa (D-CA), Katie Porter (D-CA), Rudy Yakym (R-IN), Kelly Armstrong (R-ND), Thomas Kean (R-NJ), Bill Huizenga (R-MI), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY), and Randy Weber (R-TX).
Earlier this year, Tenney led a bipartisan group of lawmakers in sending a similar letter to the Canadian government, calling for them to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization. The letter sent today reiterates the clear message from Rep. Tenney’s May letter and emphasizes the urgency to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization following Iran’s involvement in the funding, training, and support of the October 7th attack on Israel. Currently, Canada recognizes the IRGC Quds Force, one branch of the IRGC, as a terrorist entity but does not recognize the entire IRGC.
Two-Day Water Outage in Remote Irish Region Caused by Pro-Iran Hackers
Residents of a remote area on Ireland’s west coast were left without water last week due to a cyberattack perpetrated by a pro-Iran hacking group targeting a piece of equipment the hackers complained was made in Israel.
The incident affected a private group water scheme in the rural Erris area of County Mayo, which has a total population of around 8,000 people spread out over just under 1,000 square kilometers — about 0.5% the population of Manhattan in an area 20 times its size.
“The attack saw outages for approximately 160 households over two days, and was as a result of the exploitation of a vulnerability in a particular type of programmable logic controller,” a spokesperson for Ireland’s Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC) told Recorded Future News on Monday.
Iranians in Switzerland Successfully Thwart Ebrahim Raisi’s Visit
Following a formal complaint lodged in Bern, the planned visit of the Iranian regime’s president to Geneva for the World Refugee Forum has been canceled. One of the individuals filing a complaint, Reza Shemirani, vividly recalls, “How can I forget his face? Ebrahim Raisi is the same person who insisted on my death sentence in the ‘Execution Commission’ back in 1988 at Tehran’s Evin Prison. I endured seven years of detention and torture there.”
“Khomeini issued a fatwa, leading to the removal of supporters of the People’s Mojahedin and political opponents. In the Evin prison where I was held, less than 150 out of 5,000 prisoners survived, as ordered by Khomeini,” Shemirani added.
This marks a highly symbolic triumph for Reza Shemirani. He emphasized, “Even though Raisi wasn’t apprehended, it was crucial for me to denounce his crimes and to highlight the international community’s disapproval. He is now apprehensive. I urge him to reconsider before each foreign excursion.”
Second Alleged Senior Iranian Official Sent for Deportation Hearing Under Canadian Sanctions
A second alleged senior Iranian official found living in Canada is undergoing deportation proceedings, Global News has learned. Canada has launched a case against Iranmanesh Majid, the Immigration and Refugee Board said on Wednesday.
No information about Majid or his alleged role in the Iranian regime has been released. But he is being processed for possible deportation under sanctions introduced last year that banned senior members of Iran’s government from Canada.
Refugee Board spokesperson Anna Pape said the agency’s Immigration Division had received the case on Nov. 29. It is being handled by the IRB’s Toronto office, she said.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
The Justice Movement for the 1988 Massacre Marks Its 35th Anniversary
Thirty-five years ago, on December 9, 1988, the first major campaign demanding justice for the mass killing of political prisoners by the Iranian regime, reached the halls of the United Nations General Assembly.
This campaign began after the establishment of the Death Commission by Iran’s regime on July 19, 1988, which orchestrated the massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners throughout the month of August and until mid-September 1988 in utmost secrecy. According to witnesses to the massacre, the level of secrecy was such that even prison guards and personnel were not allowed to leave the prisons until the end of the mass killings in order to prevent the news from spreading.
Executions Spike in Iran Under Ebrahim Raisi’s Reign of Terror
In Iran today, we face a government known for executions and massacres, violating all clauses of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In November alone, at least 120 people were executed in Iran’s prisons, equating to one execution every six hours. Over 5,000 people currently face execution in the regime’s prisons.
The mullahs’ government, amid the escalating regional war it initiated, has increased both secret and public executions, taking advantage of international attention on the conflict. Since the war’s onset on October 7, the regime has executed 225 people in Iran, including political prisoners and those arrested in recent uprisings.
EU Sanctions Iranian Individuals, and Companies for Sending Drones to Russia
According to the statement by the European Union Council, these punitive measures target individuals and entities involved in the development and production of drones used in Russian attacks against Ukraine.
The European Union Council added that these six individuals and five Iranian companies are the first to be sanctioned under a “new legal framework” to counter Iran’s military support to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions complement the previous four rounds of EU sanctions against individuals and entities involved in the production of drones for export to Russia.
Ottawa, Canada—December 12, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Ottawa, Canada—December 12, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in front of Canada’s Parliament to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Furthermore, they proclaimed that the mullahs’ dictatorship is on the brink of being overthrown by the people of Iran and the PMOI movement. They demanded the prosecution of mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi for crimes against humanity.
Vancouver, Canada—December 12, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Vancouver, Canada—December 12, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Furthermore, they proclaimed that the mullahs’ dictatorship was on the brink of being overthrown by the people of Iran and the PMOI movement. They demanded the prosecution of mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi for crimes against humanity.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – December 13, 2023