THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM
Iraq Finds Land-Based Cruise Missile Aimed at US Forces: US Official
The US military on Friday publicly thanked Iraq’s police for their Jan. 3 discovery of a land-based cruise missile that a US official said was aimed at American troops in the country.
“The Coalition is appreciative of the efforts of the legitimate security forces in Iraq for their efforts to prevent future attacks,” US Central Command said in a post on social media platform X.
On Jan. 3, Iraqi police in Babylon discovered a land attack cruise missile of Iranian design that failed to launch. The use of Iranian supplied munitions by terrorist groups within Iraq and Syria endanger Coalition forces and local residents. The Coalition is appreciative of the… pic.twitter.com/k14EXEvVjP
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 5, 2024
Rising Bread Prices Prompted by Labor Costs, says Union Representative
In a recent announcement, Sajjad Mohammadi, a member of the board of directors of the Union of Bakers in Bushehr Province, revealed adjustments in the prices of various bread types.
In an interview with the IRGC-run Fars News Agency, Mohammadi tried to justify the reasons for the surge in bread prices, stating that the price adjustments are part of addressing the wage disparity for bakery workers from the new year.
He said, “The costs associated with depreciation, renovation, maintenance of machinery, social security insurance, property rent, and the transportation expenses of flour have not been factored into this price adjustment. It solely covers the wage disparity for workers.”
The rationale provided by Mohammadi comes amid a broader trend of escalating prices for essential commodities, exacerbating the already challenging living conditions for ordinary citizens.
More Than 160 Belgian Municipalities Support the Iranian Resistance
One hundred and sixty-five Belgian municipalities have endorsed a collective declaration in solidarity with the Iranian resistance. The declaration was presented on Friday by the non-profit organization Culture, Art, and Human Rights at the town hall of Vilvoorde in Flemish Brabant.
The organization had initially introduced the statement several months ago, marking one year since the tragic passing of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died following her arrest by Iran’s morality police for violating the prescribed dress code for women. Her death triggered both national and international outrage, leading to widespread protests throughout Iran.
Mehdi Nobari, the president of the association, expressed the campaign’s objective: “Through our initiative, we aim to once again bring attention to the resistance in Iran. The mayors are endorsing the cause of the resistance and condemning the regime’s oppressive measures. Additionally, we urge the government, especially during the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, to send a resounding message of support.”
UPDATE: 3:30 PM
Jordan Strikes Iran-Linked Drug Dealers in Syria -Intelligence Sources
AMMAN, Jan 5 (Reuters) – Jordan on Thursday launched air strikes inside Syria against suspected warehouses and hideouts of Iranian-backed drug smugglers, Jordanian and regional intelligence sources said.
The army has stepped up a campaign against drug dealers after protracted clashes last month with dozens of infiltrators from Syria linked to pro-Iranian militias, carrying large hauls who crossed its border with weapons and explosives.
The sources told Reuters jets bombed the suspected home of a leading drug dealer in the town of Shaab in Sweida province while the other strike hit warehouses near the village of Al-Ghariya.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM
Iranian Regime Officials Increasingly Worried About Upcoming Elections
As Iranian regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei continues his theatrical engineering of his regime’s sham elections, he continues to fumble in ways that further humiliate his regime.
On December 27, in an address to a group of women, Khamenei said, “In the matter of elections, you, dear women, can play a role. The most important role you can play is inside the home. Mothers can play a role and encourage their children and spouses to be active in the field of elections.”
This is coming from the leader of a regime that has one of the worst track records of violating the most basic rights of women. Yet he is so desperate that he is reaching out to women to help bolster his sham elections. But even when he wants to praise women, Khamenei cannot hide his nature of considering them as second-class citizens who have no rights or role to play in society.
Female Political Prisoners in Evin Are Retaliated for Their Protest, Deprived of Their Basic Rights
A group of women political prisoners in Evin Prison have been deprived of making phone calls and having visitations after they protested the visit by the regime’s judges.
A group of prisoners in the women’s ward of Evin have been deprived of making phone calls and having visitations after they protested the visit to their ward by the notorious judges of the Iranian Judiciary, Iman Afshari and Mohammad Reza Amouzad. They chanted “Death to Khamenei” and other anti-regime slogans. Prison guards intervened and clamped down on the protesting prisoners.
Prison authorities threatened to file new charges against the female political prisoners in Evin and banish them to remote prisons. They also banned some prisoners from their right to call their families and visit them. Shiva Esmaili, 58, Forough Taghipour, 29, Marzieh Farsi, 58, Arghavan Fallahi, 24, and Parvin Mirasan, 66, are among the political prisoners in Evin deprived of their rights.
Iran Faces Budget Deficits, Inflationary Shocks, and Tax Increases in 2024
The economic landscape of Iran in 2024 is fraught with a multitude of challenges, encompassing a budget deficit, incongruities between budget allocations and program implementation, inflationary shocks, and the anticipation of tax hikes.
A thorough analysis of Iran’s economic predicament, particularly the 2024 budget, by Etemad newspaper sheds light on the potential exacerbation of poverty among the Iranian populace in the coming year.
As delineated in the report, factors contributing to this economic strain include inflationary shocks surpassing 50%, tax burdens imposed across various business sectors, income tax, and levies on employee salaries, housing, and automobiles.
Iran’s Subsidence Five Times the Global Average
Abdolreza Saadat Mir-Moghaddam, the Director-General of Geodesy and Land Surveying at the Iranian National Mapping Organization, announced the expansion of land subsidence into cities and stated that this phenomenon is progressing in cities like Isfahan and Arak.
According to Mir-Moghaddam, land subsidence in Iran is five times the global average, and currently, many provinces, including Markazi and Hamedan provinces, as well as 300 plains in Iran, are facing land subsidence crises.
Mir-Moghaddam emphasized that in some of Iran’s plains, the situation has gone beyond subsidence and entered a critical phase, creating “sinkholes.”
Russia Denies Iran Extraction from Gas Field
Ardeshir Dadras, the head of the Iran CNG Association, has stated that Russia’s obstruction of Iran’s gas extraction from the Sardar Jangal field is among the factors contributing to “imbalances in gas production and consumption” in the country.
On January 2, Dadras criticized the “mismanagement and lack of foresight” of government officials, calling Iran the world’s largest gas subsidy provider and stating, “Russia does not allow Iran to extract gas from the eight wells of the Sardar Jangal gas field in the Caspian Sea.”
According to the regime’s Eghtesadonline website, Ardashir Dadras has stated that insufficient investment and development in gas extraction have created a “critical imbalance” in this sector over the next ten years and has announced that a $60 billion investment is necessary to overcome this crisis.
Paris—January 3, 2024: MEK Supporters Organized an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Supporting #FreeIranTelethon
Paris, France—January 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a photo exhibition and book table in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – January 4, 2023