THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CEST
Statement From Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines on Recent Iranian Influence Efforts
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines today released the following statement:
“The Intelligence Community recognizes the importance of informing the public of foreign efforts to influence our democratic processes and, consequently, leading into the Presidential and congressional elections this year, we are launching today the first of what will be regular updates regarding such threats.
Our updates can be expected to cover a range of foreign malign activities and election security threats, as you will see in today’s update. In particular, I would like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to concerning Iranian activity.
As I noted in testimony to the Congress in May, Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in the past, including in prior election cycles. They continue to adapt their cyber and influence activities, using social media platforms and issuing threats. It is likely they will continue to rely on their intelligence services in these efforts, as well as Iran-based online influencers, to promote their narratives.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CEST
A Resistance Movement Built on Hope
One of the participants in the recent Free Iran 2024 World Summit was Mr. Francisco Guerreiro, a member of the European Parliament from Portugal. On July 1, in his speech about the “dream of the Iranian people” for freedom, he said, “I define the resistance movement in ‘hope, resilience, and vision.’ Hope, because we must continue to dream of a secular democracy. This dream is not new; it began in the 1950s with Mossadegh. However, in 1953, this dream was shattered by a coup d’état orchestrated by Western forces, primarily the US and British, opposing this vision… We must politically recognize the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as the sole entity capable of guiding Iran’s transition to a secular democracy.”
Two days after the grand gathering of the resistance, Mr. Guerreiro wrote on his X account: “Three words define the Iranian Resistance. Hope, Resilience, and Vision.”
Political Prisoner Azar Korvandi: Evin Prison Authorities Deny Her Medical Treatment
Tehran, Iran – Azar Korvandi, a political prisoner held in Evin Prison, is suffering from heart disease and urgently needs specialized medical care.
Despite her deteriorating physical condition, the approximately 60-year-old prisoner has been denied hospital transfer and proper medical attention by the Evin Prison authorities.
Azar Korvandi (Musazadeh), a political prisoner since the 1980s, has two blocked heart arteries requiring immediate medical intervention. However, her requests for hospital transfer have been ignored by prison officials.
Azar Korvandi was arrested in the summer of 2019 on charges of collaborating with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and promoting anti-regime propaganda after holding family counseling sessions in her private garden in Shahriar. She was released on bail then but later convicted in December 2021 by the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
The Plight of Iranian Nurses: A Double Oppression
Double oppression against women in Iran permeates all aspects of their lives, including discrimination in the workplace. In this article, we delve into the challenges faced by Iranian nurses, highlighting issues such as the shortage of nurses, harsh working conditions, forced overtime, and nurse migration. Nursing is an honorable profession worldwide, but Iranian female nurses find themselves in dire circumstances. Their salaries fall far below the poverty line, and their working hours often exceed the standard office hours. Despite a growing wave of unemployed nurses, the government has not prioritized hiring new staff. Instead, employed nurses face increased workloads without additional compensation.
House of Commons Condemns Iranian Regime
The focus of Thursday’s parliamentary debate at the House of Commons was on condemning the Iranian regime’s increased executions and violent repression of protesters. The parliamentarians also expressed support for the Iranian people’s quest for freedom and democracy.
The motion passed during the debate emphasised the urgent need to protect the rights of the members of the principal opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), residing in Ashraf 3, Albania. The debate called for the proscription of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for its violent crackdown on protesters and its destabilising activities in the Middle East. Several cross-party Members of Parliament, including Bob Blackman, Anna Firth, Jim Shannon, Wayne David, Holly Lynch, and myself, stressed the importance of the UK government’s stronger approach to promoting freedom and democracy in Iran.
Iran’s New President Pezeshkian Vows to Continue Terrorism and Proxy Support
Iran regime’s media have reported that Masoud Pezeshkian, the winner of the 14th presidential election, has emphasized supporting Iran’s proxy groups and strengthening relations with Russia.
On Monday, July 8, in a message to Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, in response to his congratulatory message, Pezeshkian referred to the Islamic Republic’s support for “resistance” and said that this support “will continue with strength.”
The authorities of the Iranian regime have given Iran’s proxy groups in the Middle East, such as Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the extremist group Hamas, Yemen’s Houthis, and Shia militia groups in Iraq, the title of “axis of resistance.”
Iran Expands Missile Production Facilities, Satellite Images Reveal
Recent satellite imagery has uncovered significant expansions at two key Iranian ballistic missile facilities near Tehran, according to a report by Reuters.
The images, captured by commercial satellite firm Planet Labs in March and April, show over 30 new structures at the Modarres military base and the Khojir missile production complex. American researchers Jeffrey Lewis and Decker Eveleth, who analyzed the imagery, believe these expansions are aimed at boosting missile production.
This assessment was corroborated by three senior Iranian regime officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. The expansion of these facilities comes in the wake of Iran regime’s agreement in October 2022 to supply missiles to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine.
Porters in Iran Risk Death to Earn Meager Amounts
Reports indicate an increase in deadly attacks by Iranian regime security forces on Kurdish porters. These porters carry goods from Iraq for a very small amount of money.
In 2023, Iranian regime security forces shot at 507 Kurds carrying goods from Iraq, killing 44 of them. Since the beginning of 2024, 111 Kurds have been shot at the border for the same reason.
When the border guards see the porters, they shoot at them. Many people are either killed or suffer serious injuries, including spinal cord injuries.
Bern—July 8, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Bern, Switzerland—July 8, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to support the Iranian Revolution. They also honored the memory of the martyrs of the Iranian uprisings.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 9, 2024