THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
Bochum: Attack on Synagogue Was Planned by Iran, Court Says
Düsseldorf – The Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court has determined that the planning of an attack on the Bochum synagogue last year can be traced back to an Iranian state agency. On Tuesday, a 36-year-old German-Iranian was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison. The responsible criminal senate found him guilty of orchestrating a serious arson at the synagogue and attempting another arson at the neighboring school, according to a court spokeswoman.
According to the court, the defendant, in collaboration with a supporter in Iran, organized an arson attack on the synagogue in November of last year. Additionally, he unsuccessfully solicited an acquaintance to carry out the attack with him. However, fearing discovery, he refrained from committing the crime on-site and instead threw the incendiary device at the Hildegardis School next to the synagogue. This act was intended to create the illusion for his client that the crime had been executed, or at the very least, that he had made appropriate efforts.
US Launches Red Sea Force as Ships Reroute To Avoid Attacks
MANAMA/DUBAI, Dec 19 (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday launched a multinational operation to safeguard commerce in the Red Sea as attacks by Iran-backed Yemeni militants forced major shipping companies to reroute, stoking fears of sustained disruptions to global trade.
The Houthi militant group, which controls vast amounts of territory in Yemen after years of war, has since last month fired drones and missiles at international vessels sailing through the Red Sea – attacks it says respond to Israel’s devastating assault on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
This week, the attacks began to take a toll on global trade, disrupting a key trade route that links Europe and North America with Asia via the Suez Canal.
UPDATE: 3:30 PM CET
Hazard Threatens Lives of One Million in Arak Due to Mazut Combustion
In a statement expressing concern, members of the academic faculty at the Arak University of Industry have identified air pollution as a result of mazut fuel combustion. The statement highlights the resumption of mazut burning at the Shazand power plant, posing a serious health risk to over one million residents of Arak and Shazand cities.
A group of academic staff, professors, and members of Arak University emphasized the necessity to halt mazut combustion at the Shazand power plant in a released statement.
The statement, written in a cautious tone to avoid political prosecution and published on the official website of the Arak University of Industry states: “Despite the efforts of the senior officials in the Central Province, unfortunately, we have witnessed the resumption of mazut burning at the Shazand power plant in recent days (although one month later than last year). This situation poses a serious risk to the health of over one million innocent citizens residing in the cities of Arak and Shazand.”
According to the Clean Air Act approved by the Islamic Consultative Assembly in 2017, power plants are prohibited from burning mazut to compensate for fuel shortages.
“We, the professors and academics of the Arak University of Industry, in line with our social responsibilities, urge the senior officials of the Central Province, especially the governor and the representatives of the people of Arak and Shazand in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, to seriously pursue measures to stop mazut combustion at the Shazand power plant in the upcoming cold months,” the statement concludes.
Swedish Court Confirms Life Sentence for Iran Ex-Prison Official
Stockholm (AFP) – A Swedish appeals court on Tuesday confirmed the conviction of a former Iranian prison official handed a life sentence for crimes committed during a 1988 purge of dissidents.
The Svea Court of Appeal said in a statement it “affirmed the judgment… in significant parts” of 62-year-old Hamid Noury, who in July 2022 was given a life sentence “for grave breaches of international humanitarian law and murder.”
“Our assessment is that the prosecutor’s case is robust and overall compelling and that the district court was correct to find the prosecutors’ charges largely substantiated,” Judge Robert Green said.
UPDATE: 11:00 AM CET
West Accuses Iran of Illegally Testing Missiles, Transferring Drones to Russia, Enriching Uranium
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Western powers in the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran accused Tehran on Monday of developing and testing ballistic missiles, transferring hundreds of drones to Russia, and enriching uranium to an unprecedented 60% level for a country without a nuclear weapons program — all in violation of a U.N. resolution endorsing the deal.
Iran and its ally, Russia, dismissed the charges by Britain, France, and Germany, strongly supported by the United States, which pulled out of the agreement known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018.
The six-party agreement was aimed at ensuring that Iran could not develop atomic weapons. Under the accord, Tehran agreed to limit enrichment of uranium to levels necessary for the peaceful use of nuclear power in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.
After Mahsa Amini’s Posthumous Sakharov Prize, West Must Side With Iranian People Against Brutal Mullahs’ Regime – Struan Stevenson
In a fitting tribute to Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old woman killed in September 2022 by Iran’s so-called ‘morality police’ for not covering her hair properly, the European Parliament has posthumously awarded her the Sakharov Prize for Freedom.
President Roberta Metsola announced the award at a special ceremony in Strasbourg earlier this month. The Sakharov Prize, named after the Russian nuclear scientist and dissident Andrei Sakharov, was also awarded to the Women, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran. Amini joins a notable list of previous winners of the award, including Nobel peace-prize laureates such as Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai.
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET
Khamenei’s Enmity Toward Peace in the Middle East
On December 11, the state-run Tasnim News Agency wrote an article featuring the statements of the regime foregein minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the 21st Doha Summit, attended by leaders of countries and regional organizations, in which Amir-Abdollahian clearly stated that the regime rejects a two-state solution. The regime’s opposition to the two-state solution happens while the international community and Islamic and Arab countries increasingly emphasize the two-state solution as the only way to end the war in the region.
What Amir-Abdollahian has expressed is not an “undiplomatic statement,” but the inevitable revelation of the long-standing enmity of this regime towards Palestine, Middle East peace, and investment in sowing division and warmongering at the cost of the blood and immense suffering of innocent civilians.
Iran’s Brain Drain and Ahmad Alamolhoda’s Alleged Corruption
Iran faces a concerning trend of brain drain, where its intellectual and academic elites are increasingly seeking opportunities abroad. This phenomenon has significant repercussions, impacting not only the nation’s intellectual capital but also perpetuating a cycle of economic challenges. Against this backdrop, Alamolhoda’s accusations and perspectives on the matter gain prominence.
Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday Prayers Imam of Mashhad, delivered a speech on Student’s Day, accusing Iranian elites of emigrating to pursue financial prosperity. Speaking at a meeting with students, professors, and organizations of Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Alamolhoda attributed the rising emigration of academic elites from Iran to their desire for opulent lifestyles, including driving luxurious cars and residing in expansive houses.
Hasan Khalkhal Zard at Risk of Execution on Unfounded Charges of “Insulting the Prophet”
Hasan Khalkhal Zard, a citizen of Galikesh city in Golestan province, is a 32-year-old protester who has been accused of insulting the Prophet for participating in the nationwide protests of 2022. This charge could pose a serious risk of issuing a death sentence.
According to the report by Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), Hasan Khalkhal Zard was arbitrarily detained by security forces in October 2023. He has been held in Gonbad-e Kavus Prison in Golestan province for over seventy days. He has faced an unfair judicial process and has been charged with offenses such as “Sab al-Nabi”, “insulting the Prophet” and “insulting Khamenei”.
After his arrest, Mr. Khalkhal Zard was transferred to the Galikesh Intelligence Department for interrogation. There, he was subjected to beatings and torture by government agents. Having undergone vicious psychological and physical torture, this young protester attempted suicide by cutting his wrist, subsequent to the completion of his interrogations and transfer to Gonbad-e Kavus Prison.
Kurdish Journalist Pakhshan Azizi Moved to Evin’s Women’s Ward from Ward 209
Kurdish journalist Pakhshan Azizi, a former political prisoner, and Social Work graduate endured over four months of detainment in the Intelligence Ministry’s Ward 209 at Evin Prison.
Her relocation to the Women’s Ward at Evin on Monday, December 11, 2023, marked a significant shift after enduring extensive interrogation without legal counsel or communication with her family.
The recent transfer of the Kurdish journalist Pakhshan Azizi follows her arrest on August 4, 2023, in Shahrak-e Kharrazi, Tehran.
Houses in Istanbul Cheaper than Tehran
According to an analysis of the real estate market in Turkey and Iran by the state-run Tejarat News, house prices in Istanbul, as one of the country’s major cities, were on average lower than Tehran in 2023.
Tejarat News refers to official statistics on housing prices in Tehran and states that the housing sector has experienced unprecedented price growth in recent years, to the point where the average price of an apartment in November 2023 has approached the range of 800 million rials (approximately $1,603) per square meter.
The report states that the economic data related to Turkey indicates that the country has faced numerous problems, including rising inflation, in line with Iran’s economy in recent years.
Paris—December 16, 2023: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition, in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Paris, France—December 16, 2023: On the third day, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. The event also served as a platform to condemn the recent wave of brutal executions in Iran.
Gothenburg, Sweden—December 16, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Gothenburg, Sweden—December 16, 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. The rally also served as a platform to condemn the recent wave of brutal executions in Iran. They demanded the prosecution of mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi as a notorious killer, mostly renowned for his pivotal role in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners.
Hamburg , Germany—December 16, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally and Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Hamburg , Germany—December 16, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally and exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. This rally and exhibition served as a platform to condemn the recent wave of brutal executions in Iran. Iranians demanded the prosecution of mass murderer Ebrahim Raisi as a notorious killer, mostly renowned for his pivotal role in the 1988 massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – December 18, 2023
