THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 6:00 PM CET
US Navy Says It Prevented Iran from Seizing Tankers in Gulf of Oman
DUBAI, July 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. Navy said it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday in the latest in a series of seizures or attacks on ships in the area since 2019.
Chevron (CVX.N) said one incident involved the Richmond Voyager, a very large crude carrier managed by the U.S. oil major, and that crew onboard were safe.
An Iranian navy vessel fired shots during the second seizure attempt, Navy Fifth Fleet spokesperson Timothy Hawkins said.
Iran Outrage as Millions of Lives at Risk Over ‘Zombie’ Nuclear Deal With Regime ‘Conmen’
Daulat Nowrouzi, the UK representative of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), said it was pointless negotiating with the mullahs in Iran as they could not be trusted to keep their word and the character of the regime would never change. She implored Western leaders to bring back the six UN Security Council resolutions passed prior to the signing of the original Iran nuclear deal in 2015, that imposed clear restrictions and sanctions on the enrichment of uranium. The Iranian dissident told the Express during the Free Iran World Summit held in Paris over last weekend: “Who put it (UN resolutions) aside? Who suspended it? It was the Obama administration.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Ukrainian Writer and Supporter of Iranian Resistance Fallen for Freedom
Victoria Amelina, a well-known Ukrainian writer, tragically lost her life on Tuesday, July 4, due to injuries sustained from a missile strike in the city of Kramatorsk. She was just 37 years old and a respected member of the International Pen Club.
Amelina had actively participated in the Free Iran Global Summit 2022 and made an impassioned speech, identifying herself as a novelist and a human rights advocate. She emphasized the need to break the cycle of impunity and called for justice to prevail. She also acknowledged the presence of individuals in the audience who had experienced the loss of their loved ones through executions carried out by the Iranian regime.
Full of sadness and broken heart in memory of #ViktoriaAmelina. A brave and fearless Ukrainian lioness and a supporter of the Iranian resistance. #SlavaUkraine @kiraincongress@viola_pashutina@ZelenskyyUa@Klitschko@MelnykAndrij#WeCanAndWeMust #FreeUkraine #FreeIran2023 #Iran… pic.twitter.com/jkAD7QO5hy
— Javad Dabiran (@JavadDabiran) July 5, 2023
Amelina expressed her confidence in the future victory of the Iranian Resistance movement and highlighted the importance of accountability and justice once that victory is achieved. She appealed to the international community to support the cause for a free Iran, as she firmly believed that without a commitment to justice, the ultimate goal of establishing a thriving democracy would remain elusive.
The untimely demise of Victoria Amelina is a poignant reminder of the risks faced by individuals who courageously stand up for their principles and advocate for human rights in challenging circumstances. Her dedication to the pursuit of justice and democracy will serve as an inspiration to Iranians and Ukrainians in their strive for freedom.
Senior Cleric Warns Against Exposing Regime’s Weaknesses
On July 4, Ahmad Khatami, a member of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Council of Expediency, expressed concerns about a nationwide boycott of the coming parliamentary sham elections.
Iranian state media quoted Khatami as saying, “Some people are claiming that 80 percent of the people will not participate in the [coming parliamentary] election. They want to repeat this lie, which is a poison!”
“Some people have turned into theoreticians for the riots and argue that we should call it protests. These are not protests, they are riots. The incidents that happened last fall in Iran were not protests, they were riots,” he added.
Iran Must End Crackdown Against Protesters and Uphold Rights of All Iranians, Especially Women and Girls, Fact-Finding Mission Says
GENEVA (5 July 2023) – Iran must end its continuing crackdown on peaceful protesters and halt the wave of executions, mass arrests and detentions since the death in custody of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini last September. It must respect, fulfil, and protect the rights of all people in Iran, especially women and girls, the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Islamic Republic of Iran said today. In its first Oral Update to the Human Rights Council, the Fact-Finding Mission said the overall human rights situation in the country risks deteriorating further if no response is made to the concerns raised to date of alleged human rights violations, and if new legislation, which proposes harsher punishments on women and girls found in breach of forced veiling provisions, becomes law.
Iran Taken to World Court Over Downing of Passenger Plane
AMSTERDAM, July 5 (Reuters) – Canada, Sweden, Ukraine and Britain have asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to open proceedings against Iran over the shooting down of a Ukrainian passenger plane in 2020 that killed all 176 people on board, legal filings showed on Wednesday.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards shot down the Ukraine International Airlines flight on Jan. 8, 2020 shortly after it took off from Tehran Airport in what Iranian officials said at the time was a “disastrous mistake”.
In their application to the ICJ, also known as the World Court, the four countries said Iran had violated “a series of obligations” against the so-called Montreal Convention, aimed at securing the safety of civilian air travel.
Iran’s Presence in Syria in June 2023 | 15 Fatalities in Ground Attacks…Confusion and Hectic Movements in West Euphrates
Iran and its proxy militias have unprecedented influence in most areas under the “symbolic” regime control, as neither attacks by Israel and the International Coalition, nor the “cold war” with Russia could hinder the alarming entrenchment and expansion of these forces across Syria. Strengthening their presence and promoting their ideology, the Iranians are still carrying on with their systematic plan to change the demography of different areas throughout Syria’s geography.
In the following report, SOHR highlights the key developments in areas dominated by the Iranians in June 2023. SOHR activists documented the death of 15 Iranian-backed militiamen, all of them are of Syrian nationalities, in ground attacks in Syria in June 2023; they are as follows.
Free Iran Conference Calls for Accountability for Tehran’s Human Rights Violations
In continuation of the Free Iran 2023 world summit in France, human rights experts, jurists, and politicians gathered for a conference on human rights violations in Iran and the imperative to hold Iranian regime leaders accountable for their crimes against humanity. The conference highlighted the massacre of more than 30,000 political prisoners in 1988 as well as the continued killing of dissidents and protesters by Iran’s regime. During her keynote address, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), paid tribute to the martyrs of the 1988 massacre and said, “The untainted blood of those innocent souls massacred in 1988 resonates today in the ongoing uprisings of the Iranian people and continues to inspire and motivate rebellious youths across generations.”
Cuneo at the Free Iran World Summit in Paris: “Our Support to the People Fighting for Freedom”
Supporting the Iranian people in their struggle for democracy and freedom: this is the goal of the Free Iran World Summit 2023 which took place in Paris on June 30 – July 1. To participate in the event a significant delegation of the Cuneo area, which included the deputy mayor of Cuneo Luca Serale and the councilor Noemi Mallone.
Internationally known leaders and political figures – such as Mike Pence, Mike Pompeo, Giulio Terzi and Jon Bolton – spoke at the headquarters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in Auvers-sur-Oise, while a large gathering of Iranians and supporters of the Iranian resistance on Place Vauban in Paris demanded, with a peaceful demonstration, freedom and rights.
The central address of the Summit was given by Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance for the transition period. After outlining her project to build a free and democratic Iran on the basis of her Ten-Point-Plan, Rajavi made a strong appeal: “We do not wish and have never asked foreign governments to help our people and our Resistance to overthrow the regime. Instead, we urge them to stop supporting the mullahs.”
Maryam Akbari Monfared Faces New Charges After 13.5 Years in Prison
Political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared was summoned to the Courthouse of Evin on Saturday, July 1, 2023, where she was arraigned on five new charges. She was immediately returned to the Prison of Semnan, 216 km east of Tehran. The new charges against Maryam Akbari Monfared come after she has been incarcerated for 13.5 years without a single day of leave, and there are only 18 months left of her 15-year sentence. The new charges against Ms. Akbari Monfared include “propaganda against the state,” “assembly and collusion,” “dissemination of lies,” “insulting (Khamenei),” and “encouraging people to disrupt public order.” These charges are based on the letters and reports published by Maryam Akbari Monfared on social media.
Iran’s Solution to Water Scarcity: Offering Treated Wastewater in Trade
Facing financial and water shortages, the Iranian government has devised a plan to trade treated wastewater on the energy exchange market.
According to Mohsen Ardakani, the head of Tehran’s water and sewage management, the implementation of this plan will commence in the coming months. However, specific details about the trading mechanism and the distribution process to buyers and consumers remain undisclosed.
While numerous developed countries efficiently treat domestic sewage and supply treated water to the agricultural and industrial sectors, Iran’s sewage treatment plants have a nominal capacity of merely 5.8 million cubic meters per day. This capacity allows them to convert only 2.1 billion cubic meters of sewage into treated wastewater annually, accounting for less than a quarter of the country’s household water consumption. Consequently, a significant portion of consumed clean water goes untreated and cannot be recycled.
Additionally, Iran’s outdated network infrastructure leads to wastage of approximately 25% of drinking water during distribution and transmission. Despite this, Ardakani asserts that water distributed in Tehran undergoes testing in 35 laboratories, ensuring compliance with national and global standards.