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Iran News in Brief – July 25, 2023

Sedighe Shahrokhi

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THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET

Tuesday Protests in Iran

July 25—Sanandaj, western Iran Retired teachers and workers of the education sector hold a protest rally in front of the provincial offices of the government retirement fund, demanding higher pensions and other basic demands.

Protesters chanting: “The government and the Majlis are lying to the people!”

103 NGOs, Human Rights Experts Write to Volker Türk To Help Prevent Imminent Execution in Iran

The number of signatories from organizations and international human rights personalities who have written letters to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has reached 103. The letters are part of an international campaign aimed at stopping the execution of Javad Vafa’i Thani, a political prisoner.

According to the information received from Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, the prison judge visited Ward 39, where political prisoners are held, and informed Javad Vafa’i that his death sentence has been confirmed. Following this, Javad Vafa’i was summoned and transferred to an undisclosed location by a prison guard. Unfortunately, there is currently no further information available about where he has been taken.

Javad Vafa’i, who is 27 years old, is a renowned boxing champion in Mashhad and a supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.

Ten World Leaders Defend Political Prisoner To Be Executed in Iran

Ten former leaders and ministers from Western countries have sent an urgent appeal to Mr. Volcker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, to prevent the execution of Mohammed Javad Vafa’i Thani, a young political prisoner in Iran. Gununsesi.info says Vafa’i Thani has been sentenced to death by the Iranian regime’s Justice System for political reasons. Signatories have called for international pressure on the spiritual dictatorship to halt the execution and security of thousands of political prisoners detained after months of rebellion in Iran.

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UPDATE: 5:00 PM CET

In Iran, More and More Households Can No Longer Pay Their Rent Due to Runaway Inflation

In May, Mahmoud (the Iranians quoted in this article wished anonymity), a resident of Tehran, received a call from his landlord, telling him that his rent would suddenly double, rising to about 300 euros monthly. “My wife and I told ourselves that this was no longer possible, knowing that we only earn a little more than 330 euros a month,” the 40-year-old accountant said in Tehran. Mahmoud and his wife, an artisanal cheese producer, decided to empty their apartment and return to live with her parents. “It’s really not easy with a 2-year-old, but we had no choice,” he says.

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EU Prohibits the Export to Iran of Drones and Components Used in Their Construction and Production

The EU adopted a new regime of sanctions, prohibiting the export from the European Union to Iran of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and their components. The new regime complements the previously adopted EU sanctions against Russia and Iran. Iran has supported Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. Russia has received UAVs from Iran and used them against civilians and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. The new sanctions regime complements the previously adopted EU sanctions against Russia and Iran. It also aims to prevent the circumvention of EU sanctions against Russia.

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UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET

Beware Iranian Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing

A special consultative meeting was held in Tehran last week, headed by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The meeting was attended by former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who called for the Iranian regime to enter into a new comprehensive political dialogue with the West, including the US, to normalize relations and end the diplomatic discord that has persisted since the Islamic Revolution brought the mullahs to power in 1979. It was a blatant attempt to relaunch the tired, old, hard-line versus moderate fairy tale that has been a hallmark of Ali Akbar Salehi’s tactics for years. Salehi successfully persuaded the West that he represented a ‘moderate’ faction within the Iranian regime’s hierarchy when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs under the rule of former ultra-hard-line conservative President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

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UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET

Argentina Demands That Bolivia Explain Its New Defense Agreement With Iran

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The Argentine government and members of Bolivia’s opposition demanded answers Monday following the sealing of an opaque defense agreement between Iran and Bolivia that raised concerns in South America’s Southern Cone it could be a way for Tehran to boost its influence in the region.

The deal reached last week has particularly raised concerns in Argentina, where prosecutors have long alleged that Iranian officials were behind the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aires that killed 85 people. Iran has denied any involvement in the attack.

Argentina’s Foreign Ministry sent a note to the Bolivian embassy in Buenos Aires on Monday “requesting information about the scope of the discussions and possible agreements reached during the official visit of ( Bolivian Defense) Minister Edmundo Novillo to the Islamic Republic of Iran,” an official at Argentina’s Foreign Ministry said, requesting anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

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UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET

Iran’s Telecom Retirees Resume Protests as Authorities Refuse To Address Their Demands

Retirees and pensioners of the Iranian regime’s telecommunications industry held their weekly protest rallies in several cities across the country on Monday, as their living conditions continue to deteriorate and the ruling mullahs refuse to address their needs. Rallies were reported in Tehran, Rasht, Ilam, Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Tabriz, Mashhad, Sari, Sanandaj, Zanjan, Isfahan, Shiraz, and Bandar Abbas. In Tehran, the protesters slammed regime authorities for blaming everything on foreign countries while destroying the country’s economy with their policies. “The enemy is right here! They’re lying that it is America!” the protesters chanted. In the past few years, retirees across Iran have been protesting their deteriorating living conditions, especially as the government refuses to adjust their pensions based on the inflation rate and fluctuations in the price of the rial, Iran’s national currency.

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The Distorted Justice System in Iran Targets Truth-Tellers

Instead of denouncing the violence perpetrated by a mullah, the clerical regime’s prosecutor announced their intention to find and punish whoever shot the footage and posted it on social media. On Saturday, July 22, a video clip went viral, depicting a mullah brutalizing a woman who had protested against his trespassing at her house in Sheshlou village, located in Gilan, northern Iran. The mullah in question was identified as Seifollah Gohari, the head of the political-ideological bureau and a Friday prayer leader in a government agency in Langrood. The Iranian official media reported that the battered woman was the mullah’s sister-in-law in a bid to downplay the mullah’s violence against a defenseless woman. His case was referred to the Special Court of the Clergy for examination.

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Is The Revival of Iran’s Morality Patrol A Desperate Move Or A Strategic Plan?

As the anniversary of Iran’s national uprising draws near, the religious fascist regime has made a significant move: the revival of the notorious Morality Patrol (Gasht-e Ershad). This decision has already triggered intense reactions within ruling circles and among the regime’s staunch supporters. People, various groups, and the state media are expressing apprehensions about the potential consequences of this action. A recent article in Bahar News newspaper highlights the confusion, ignorance, and disarray spreading within the regime. Questions are raised as to why the Morality Patrol is making a comeback despite past troubles, protests, and unanimous declarations that the previous path was misguided.

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Saman Yassin, the Protesting Rapper, Was Transferred From Prison to a Mental Hospital

Saman Yassin, a rapper from Kermanshah who was arrested during the popular protests in Tehran in October 2022 by security forces, was transferred to Razi Psychiatric Hospital in Shahr-e Rey on the orders of Judge Salavati. This political prisoner was transferred from Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj to Razi Psychiatric Hospital in Shahr-e Rey on Saturday, July 22, 2023, by order of Abolqassem Salavati, the presiding judge, without informing his family and loved ones. A few days ago, Saman Saeedi complained about his continued detention and uncertainty in Rajai Shahr Prison, despite being detained for ten months. This political prisoner, who is mostly known as Yasin, had said in an audio file that Judge Salavati did not allow his lawyer to access his case.

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MEK Supporters Rallies in Canada and Australia: Urgent Call to Prevent Execution of Political Prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafa’i Thani

July 22, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Canada (Ottawa, Toronto, & Vancouver) and Australia (Sydney). They called on the international community to action to prevent the execution of political prisoner Mohammad Javad Vafa’i Thani.

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Also, read Iran News in Brief – July 24, 2023

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