NCRI

Iran News in Brief – February 20, 2023

Sedighe Shahrokhi

iran workers protests 19022023

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 8:30 PM CET

Iran Uprising at a Glance – Day 158

Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran

Monday, February 20, 2023 – 8 PM GMT + 1

Iran’s nationwide uprising marked its 158th day, today, as, retirees and pensioners of the regime’s telecommunications industry in Lorestan Province rallied in Khorramabad to protest against their low pensions and poor economic conditions. Similar rallies were held in Tehran, Kerman, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Ilam, Yasuj, Arak, Sanandaj, Rasht, and Kermanshah.

Workers of companies involved in lead and other metals are on strike in the cities of Yazd and Zanjan, protesting their delayed paychecks, harsh working conditions, and long working hours.

Workers and engineers of the Kanrood Sazeh Company involved in a local petrochemical plant in the city of Chabahar in Sistan & Baluchistan Province of southeast Iran went on strike, protesting the non-payment of their wages for the past four months.

Also, in Yasuj, southwest Iran, protesters continued the campaign of torching pro-regime propaganda posters, banners, and billboards.

In the city of Qom, northcentral, and Bushehr, south of Iran, MEK-affiliated Resistance Units torched the regime’s repressive IRGC  Basij bases.

In the early hours of Monday, in several cities, including Bandar Abbas and Bushehr, southern Iran, Qeshm Island in the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, and Kermanshah, western Iran, defiant youth engaged in various anti-regime activities, including targeting paramilitary Basij bases, burning regime propaganda banners, and lighting fires to prevent attacks by the suppressive forces.

In another development, thousands of Iranians staged a rally in the Belgian capital, Brussels, calling on the European Union to designate the IRGC as a terrorist entity. They carried banners reading, “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader (Khamenei),” and “No to monarchy, no to theocracy! Democracy/equality!”

UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET

UK Sanctions Iranian Judges, Commanders and Regional Governors

LONDON: Britain imposed sanctions on three Iranian judges, three members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and two regional governors, an update to a British government website showed on Monday. Those added to the sanctions list, and subject to an asset freeze and travel ban were named by Britain’s foreign office as:

– Musa Asif Al-Hosseini, Presiding Judge of Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Courts of Karaj (Alborz Province)

– Hadi Mansouri, Presiding Judge of Branch 4 of the Revolutionary Courts of Mashhad

– Morteza Barati, Presiding Judge of Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Courts of Isfahan

– Mohammad Taghi Osanloo, IRGC Ground Forces Commander

– Parviz Absalan, IRGC Deputy Commander Sistan and Baluchestan

– Amanollah Garshasbi, Deputy Commander of the IRGC for Sistan and Baluchestan Province

– Mohammad Karami, Governor of Sistan and Baluchestan Province

– Hassan Asgari, Governor of Sanandaj

Source

UPDATE: 4:00 PM CET

Iran’s Uprising is Targeting the Supreme Leader, Officials Warn

In a speech in Gilan province on February 20, Ahmadreza Radan, the commander of the regime’s police force, expressed concern that all slogans and hatred during the uprising have been aimed at the regime’s Supreme Leader Khamenei.

“The enemy knows that if they pass through the fortress of the Supreme Leader, there will be no obstacle for them to penetrate the country, and for this reason, the slogans in the recent sedition were aimed at the esteemed position of the leadership,” Radan said.

Expressing outrage over the widespread use of the slogan “death to Khamenei” and the burning of statues and posters of Qassem Soleimani, Reza Nouri, the Friday prayer leader of Bojnourd, also said on February 17: “They saw that others insulted the image of the esteemed leader and shouted slogans against him. Foreigners and hired mercenaries as well as outsiders within the system insulted the image of the martyr Soleimani, some fools came and set fire to the image of this hero…”

Previously, Mehdi Sayyari, the deputy chief of the Revolutionary Guards’ Intelligence Organization, had said: “Last year, the enemies intended to focus on destroying the leader, so today we are witnessing that all slogans are being shouted against him.”

EU Hits Two Iran Ministers in New Sanctions Over Crackdown

Brussels (AFP) – The European Union imposed asset freezes and visa bans on Iran’s education and culture ministers on Monday, in a fifth round of sanctions against Tehran over its crackdown on demonstrators.

The new measures targeted 32 individuals and two entities, and were largely aimed at lawmakers, judiciary officials and prison authorities accused of involvement in the repression, according to the EU’s official journal.

Iran was rocked by months of nationwide protests last year after the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in September following her arrest for an alleged breach of the dress code.

Read more

The Perils of Fake Alternatives and the Illusion of ‘Republican Monarchy’ in Iran

The past six months have witnessed a sweeping popular uprising in Iran, marking an unmistakable beginning of an end to the oppressive theocracy that has governed the country for four decades.

However, amidst the persistent protests, a concerning phenomenon has emerged with uninvolved individuals seeking to position themselves as the voice of the Iranian people. These figures, either linked to the former deposed dictatorship, or previously associated with the so-called reformist faction of the ruling tyranny, or celebrities within or outside of Iran, have professed that the regime will eventually implode under its own weight. Such behavior presents a significant challenge to the quest for meaningful democratic change and could impede the progress of the nationwide uprising that has shaken the medieval regime to its core.

Read more

UPDATE: 8:30 AM CET

Iran Revolution Backed by Munich Rallies Saying No to Shah, No to Mullahs

Iran’s nationwide revolution is marking its 157th day on Sunday as the Iranian people’s continued protests are supported through major rallies by freedom-loving Iranians in Munich. Supporters of the Iranian opposition coalition NCRI, with its cornerstone member the PMOI/MEK, have been holding demonstrations on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference this weekend in solidarity with Iran revolution protests and to relay the Iranian people’s opposition to any form of dictatorship. The thousands of MEK supporters are also voicing their growing support for NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi’s ten-point plan for the future of Iran and emphasizing the Iranian people’s opposition to a return to monarchical rule.

Read more

The Endless Chain of Honor Killings and Femicide in Iran

The murder yesterday of a young woman who was the mother of a 5-year-old child by her husband was the latest in the endless chain of honor killings and femicide in Iran. During the past month, women remained victims of honor killings and femicide. However, the news about it is overshadowed and less heard due to protesters’ severe repression and arrest.

Kurdish media reported yesterday, February 18, 2023, that a woman named Marefat Karimi had been killed by her husband. Marefat Karimi was a resident of Urmia and had a five-year-old child. According to this report, Marefat’s brother-in-law died in a car accident not long ago. After some time, Mrs. Karimi discovered that her husband was planning to marry his deceased brother’s wife.

Read more

No to Shah, No to Mullahs, Onwards to Freedom, Democracy, and a Secular Government

On February 18, simultaneously with the Munich Security Conference, hundreds of freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the Iranian resistance movement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), gathered at the Max-Jozef-Platz, for the second straight day.

Protestors, along with representatives from the Iranian community, condemned the presence of Reza Pahlavi, the son of the ousted Shah, who represents the return of monarchial tyranny at the conference.

In their protest, the crowd underlined that Reza Pahlavi’s presence at the Munich Security Conference was an insult to the Iranian people’s will and determination to achieve a democratic and secular Iran.

Read more

IAEA Says It Is in Discussions With Iran After Report of Enrichment

VIENNA, Feb 19 (Reuters) – The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Sunday it was in discussions with Iran about the results of recent verification work there soon after a Bloomberg News report that it had detected uranium enriched to 84% purity, which is close to weapons grade.

Iran has been enriching uranium to up to 60% purity since April 2021. Three months ago it started enriching to that level at a second site, Fordow, which is dug into a mountain. Weapons-grade is around 90%.

“The IAEA is aware of recent media reports relating to uranium enrichment levels in Iran,” the International Atomic Energy Agency said on Twitter. “The IAEA is discussing with Iran the results of recent Agency verification activities and will inform the IAEA Board of Governors as appropriate.”

Read more

Tehran- Moscow Relations Have Become Increasingly Noxious, US Sec Blinken Says

In an interview with CBS that aired on Sunday, February 19, 2023, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the relations between the regime Iran and Russia have become increasingly “noxious”.

US Secretary told “Face the Nation” host: “We’ve seen Iran provide drones that Russia is using in Ukraine to attack civilian infrastructure, to kill civilians. This is something that’s been going on for months. We’ve been working to expose that, to take action against it, to sanction it. There’s an increasingly noxious relationship between Russia and Iran. And it’s actually a two-way street. Not only is Iran providing this equipment to Russia, but Russia is also providing military equipment to Iran, including, it looks like, sophisticated fighter planes. That’s something that looks like it may be happening, which would make Iran an even greater threat if it acquires that technology. So this is something that we’ve been talking about with allies and partners around the world. That relationship is a growing concern.”

Read more

Also, read Iran News in Brief – February 19, 2023

Exit mobile version