THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:30 PM CET
Belgian Officials Under Fire for Inviting Tehran’s Mayor
Brussels Mayor Philippe Close and State Secretary for Urbanism Pascal Smet have come under fire for inviting the hardline pro-Iran regime Mayor of Tehran Alireza Zakani to the Brussels Urban Summit 2023, a major event gathering mayors and policymakers from around the world.
Zakani is a former MP and candidate in the 2021 presidential election, who has also served as the head of the Basij Student Organisation. The group, closely affiliated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, was sanctioned by the EU at the end of May for its crackdowns on-campus protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, which sparked a wave of women’s rights demonstrations last year.
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
Iran Protests at a Glance
Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran
Wednesday, June 14, 2023 – 8 PM GMT + 1
Several cities in Iran witnessed anti-regime protests on Wednesday as people continue to take to the streets to voice their grievances and demand their rights.
Pensioners and retirees of the regime’s Social Security Organization in the cities of Ahvaz and Kermanshah, southwest and western Iran, held rallies, protesting high prices, poverty, corruption, inflation, poor living conditions, and officials’ refusal to address their demands. A similar rally was held in Ardabil, northwest Iran, where retirees are also demanding the release of unjustly detained workers and teachers.
June 14 – Kermanshah, western #Iran
Retirees and pensioners of the regime's Social Security Organization protesting poor living conditions and medical services and voicing their economic woes.#IranProtests2023pic.twitter.com/jMGFO23JVz pic.twitter.com/C5Zacr2sFe— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 14, 2023
Local railway workers in the city of Bam in Kerman Province, south-central Iran, were on strike on Wednesday protesting officials’ refusal to address their demands. Many of them have had many paychecks delayed for a very long time, some even years.
June 14 – Bam, south-central #Iran
Local railway workers are once again on strike protesting officials' refusal to address their demands. Many of them have had paychecks and pensions delayed for a very long time.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/U3F4JIdGnn— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 14, 2023
Brave youths across Iran are engaged in a new campaign of anti-regime attacks and measures in different cities and towns, responding to the mullahs’ brutal wave of executions, deadly crackdown measures, and terrorist attacks. In the Nazarabad area near Karaj, located west of Tehran, brave youths attacked a base of the regime’s IRGC paramilitary Basij forces.
June 14 – Ardabil, northwest #Iran
Retirees and pensioners of the regime's Social Security Organization protesting poor living conditions and demanding the release of jailed workers and teachers.#IranProtests2023pic.twitter.com/2mczLvC0Jq— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 14, 2023
UPDATE: 10:30 AM CET
State-run Website Exposes Released Money Was Spent For Insider Purposes
Today, the state-run Fardaye Eghtesad website published a brief writing titled “Was the released money in Iraq spent on the rich,” shedding light on the regime’s mismanagement of Iran’s public wealth. The article exposes the alarming pattern of squandering resources by the government, highlighting the regime’s priorities and those parties that need to be appeased first.
Trying to deny the allegations, Khamenei’s representative for Hajj and Pilgrimage Affairs told the semi-official ISNA news agency: “There have been media misinterpretations regarding this matter. Actually, Iran requested payment from Iraq for the electricity and gas they supplied, and Iraq duly fulfilled this financial obligation. Additionally, the Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization deposited the fees collected from pilgrims for their Hajj trip into the Central Bank account to receive it in foreign currency, which was later transferred to Saudi Arabia.”
Hajj is a significant religious pilgrimage for Muslims, marking one of the five pillars of Islam. However, it is important to acknowledge that the cost of undertaking Hajj can be prohibitive for many individuals, particularly in countries like Iran. Only those with a relatively good income in Iran are able to afford the expenses associated with traveling for this pilgrimage. Unfortunately, this means that a significant portion of Iran’s population, who struggle to meet their basic needs, often find it difficult to participate in this important religious obligation.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Cities Across Iran Host More Anti-Regime Protests as Economic Hardships Expand
More people in different cities across Iran are launching anti-regime protests to voice their hatred of the mullahs’ apparatus and demand their rights while the country’s economy is in ruins. While retirees of the country’s telecom were protesting for better pensions in many cities on Monday, brave youths began a new campaign of attacking regime sites and torching posters of the mullahs’ leaders as a show of how much they loathe the mullahs’ dictatorship. People throughout Iran continue to specifically hold the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responsible for their miseries, while also condemning the oppressive Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and paramilitary Basij units, alongside other security units that are on the ground suppressing the peaceful demonstrators.
Inside Iran Regime’s Covert Quds Force Unit 700
Deep within the shadows of the Iran regime’s notorious Quds Force lies a clandestine entity known as Unit 700. This covert unit has long operated in secrecy, orchestrating the smuggling of supplies and providing unwavering support to the Quds Force, the formidable overseas arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Recent leaks have shed light on the puzzling operations of Unit 700, exposing its pivotal role in facilitating the transfer of military equipment and resources to the regime’s proxy forces across the region. Unit 700 operates as the secret lifeline of the Quds Force, carefully ensuring the finding and delivery of essential provisions to sustain the regime’s militias. Its primary focus lies in arming and reinforcing various proxy groups across the region.
Child Labor in Iran: Crushing Poverty is the Root Cause
Crushing poverty is the root cause of child labor in Iran. The government ignores and covers up the bleak reality. June 12 marks the World Day Against Child Labor and tends to serve as a catalyst for the growing world movement fighting child labor worldwide. The United Nations has set the theme for 2023, “Social Justice for All. End Child Labour!” According to the UN, child labor can be eliminated if the root causes are addressed and when will and determination come together. However, this is not the case in Iran. Although the problem of child labor in Iran is one of the country’s most serious social ills, the Iranian regime denies the scope of the child labor problem in Iran, does not take any effective measures, nor does it allocate sufficient funds to deal with the problem.
The Continuation of Power Struggles in Iran: Resignation and Appointment of Mohsen Rezaei
The dismissal and appointment of Mohsen Rezaee, is considered as another show of continuation of the power struggles in the Raisi government. What significance can this resignation and reappointment in the same position have in power struggles in Iran?
Apparently, the appointment of positions in the theocratic government has become a new industry, and all the collapses and incisions in the government are covered up under the guise of these appointments after Raisi came to power. A brief look at the situation of the desired government of Khamenei, which has not yet reached its second year, leaves little doubt for impartial observers that the situation in Khamenei’s camp is severe.
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Nahid Shaqaqi Summoned To Serve Her Sentence of 2 Years and 3 Months
On Sunday, June 11, 2023, Nahid Shaqaqi, a women’s rights activist and a member of the Voice of Iranian Women Association (Neda-ye Zanan-e Iran), received a summons from the First Branch of the Implementation of Verdicts Office of the 33rd Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran. She was called to serve a two-year and three-month imprisonment sentence. The Tehran Revolutionary Court had previously sentenced Nahid Shaqaqi to the same term of imprisonment. She is required to appear at the mentioned court within 10 days from the date the summons was issued, i.e., June 11, 2023. Nahid Shaqaqi announced, “Despite the order of the Forensics Medicine Organization, indicating a lack of ability to endure imprisonment, my guarantors received a notification on June 12, 2023, that the bail would be confiscated and his bank account was immediately blocked.”
Ottawa, Toronto, & Vancouver—June 10, 2023: MEK Supporters Held Rallies in Support of the Iran Revolution
Ottawa, Toronto, & Vancouver—June 10, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies and expressed their solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Amsterdam—June 10, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution
Amsterdam, The Netherlands—June 10, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution. MEK supporters in Amsterdam condemned the wave of brutal executions in Iran by the religious dictatorship.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – June 13, 2023