THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 11:30 PM CET
Nasdaq To Pay $4 Mln Settlement Over Apparent Iran Sanctions Violations
Dec 8 (Reuters) – New York-based stock exchange Nasdaq Inc (NDAQ.O) agreed to pay a $4 million settlement to the U.S. Department of Treasury over apparent violations of sanctions against Iran by a former Nasdaq unit, the department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said on Friday.
Nasdaq OMX Armenia provided services to Iran and Iran’s state-owned Bank Mellat, it said.
“The settlement amount reflects OFAC’s determination that Nasdaq’s conduct was non-egregious and voluntarily self-disclosed,” OFAC said.
George Soros Funneled More Than $50M to Iran-Sympathizer Groups Linked to Robert Malley
Far-left billionaire George Soros has funneled more than $50 million to a network of Iran-sympathizer groups whose members have gained significant sway within the Biden White House — pushing to defang US sanctions on Tehran while advocating for a renewed nuclear deal.
A Post examination of Soros’ Open Society Foundations records shows the progressive kingmaker has given a staggering $46.7 million since 2016 to the International Crisis Group, a lefty think tank tied to an alleged Iranian plot to manipulate US policy.
Robert Malley, the former US special envoy to Iran now under FBI investigation for his alleged mishandling of classified material, was the ICG’s president until he joined the Biden administration in 2021.
Senior Cleric Warns Against MEK Influence in Society
Hassan Ameli, the representative of the Supreme Leader in Ardabil province, has raised concerns about the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (MEK/PMOI) influencing Iranian society.
In his address during the Friday prayers on December 8, he expressed, “Deceptive enemies have infiltrated our schools through various covert methods. There are schools visible to the eye, and there are also unseen schools where rumors and misinformation circulate throughout society. These rumors permeate in places like bakeries, buses, and everywhere—these are all unseen schools.”
“I have thoroughly investigated the origins of these rumors and reported to the FATA (cyber police). I urged them to determine the source. Upon tracing, it was found to lead all the way to Albania. When these hypocrites are the origin, why does anyone continue to echo their words?”
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET
Top White House Cyber Aide Says Recent Iran Hack on Water System Is Call To Tighten Cybersecurity
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top White House national security official said recent cyber attacks by Iranian hackers on U.S. water authorities — as well as a separate spate of ransomware attacks on the healthcare industry — should be seen as a call to action by utilities and industry to tighten cybersecurity.
Deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger said in an interview on Friday that recent attacks on multiple American organizations by the Iranian hacker group “Cyber Av3ngers” were “unsophisticated” and had “minimal impact” on operations. But the attacks, Neuberger said, offered a fresh warning that American companies and operators of critical infrastructure “are facing persistent and capable cyber attacks from hostile countries and criminals” that are not going away.
Mexican Immigration Agents Detain 2 Iranians Who They Say Were Under Observation by the FBI
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s immigration agency said Friday its agents have detained two Iranians who they say were under observation by the FBI. The National Immigration Institute did not say what the supposed FBI investigation was about. The agency said a total of five Iranians were detained along with their Haitian driver, who was apparently acting as their guide on a highway between the Baja California border cities of Tijuana and Tecate on Wednesday. It said their car was stopped at a toll booth because agents suspected they were going to try to cross into the United States.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Imprisoned Students Amir Hossein Moradi and Ali Younesi: Iran’s Regime Can’t Prevent the Next Uprising
Moradi and Younesi underlined the important role that students have played in Iran’s uprisings. They also stressed that the struggles of Iran’s people and students prove that Iran will not accept the Shah or mullahs’ dictatorship, and they will only settle for a true democratic republic.
The text of the open letter follows:
“We mark December 7 [Iran’s Student Day] in conditions that the Islamic Republic, in it fear of the next uprising that can continue until we reach freedom, is on the one resorting to mass executions and arrests and on the other hand is trying to spread despair, so that it may survive a few more days.
The Debsh Tea Embezzlement is Exemplary of Iran’s Government Corruption
An examination of the statistics related to large-scale embezzlement in Iran reveals an ongoing upward trend throughout its history. This trend signifies that, most of the time, new instances of corruption are not only larger but also more widespread than their predecessors.
In one of the most significant embezzlements within a five-year span, over three trillion dollars of the Iranian people’s assets were embezzled. Speculations suggest that various officials and institutions within the regime were implicated in this historic looting. Despite claims by the Ebrahim Raisi government to have uncovered and addressed the financial corruption involving ‘Debsh Tea,’ a considerable portion of public opinion, understanding the corrupt nature of the regime, perceives no difference between the regime’s so-called reformists and principlists. This historical violation and corruption initiated in the previous government persists in the current administration.
Iran’s Sinister Web of Influence in the West
The London-based TV station ‘Iran International’ and the news website ‘Semafor’ sent shockwaves through Europe and America in September when they revealed that an influential organization known as the Iran Experts Initiative (IEI), which had consistently lobbied and advised EU governments and the European Parliament, was in fact fashioned and directed by Tehran, stirring profound implications for global diplomacy and security. Based on an avalanche of leaked emails, the two news organizations showed how the IEI had been created by the mullahs’ regime in 2014 “to improve Tehran’s image abroad.” So called ‘experts’ from the IEI had consistently peddled a misleading narrative designed by the mullahs, while also demonizing the main democratic opposition movement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and its main component the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK).
Exhibition of the Iranian Youth and Democratic Students Association in Belgium on the Occasion of Student’s Day
Brussels—Wednesday, December 6, 2023: The Iranian Youth and Democratic Students Association in Belgium, in collaboration with VUB International Office, held an exhibition in honor of the martyrs of the uprising and political prisoners, particularly focusing on the leadership of students and the student movement in advancing the uprising at the Free University of Brussels (Vrije Universiteit Brussel – VUB).
Paris—December 7, 2023: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Paris, France—December 7, 2023: On the seventh of December, for yet another consecutive day, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian Resistance (NCRI and MEK) in Paris organized a photo exhibition to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution and commemorate the martyrs of the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people. They also voiced their disgust at the brutal wave of executions in Iran by the Mullah regime.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – December 8, 2023
