THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 11:00 PM CET
Iran Uprising at a Glance – Day 184
Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran
Saturday, March 18, 2023 – 8 PM GMT + 1
- Days: 184
- Protests: 282 cities
- Fatalities: 750+ estimated deaths, 672 identified by MEK
- Detentions: 30,000
Iran’s nationwide uprising witnessed its 184th day on Saturday as well into the early hours of today the brave Baluchis of Iran continued their protests that began yesterday when they took to the streets once again for the 24th Friday of the country’s ongoing revolution since September 2022.
In their large demonstration that took place in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan & Baluchistan in southeast Iran, protesters from all walks of society including children condemned the crimes of the mullahs’ theocracy and rejected and any all forms of dictatorship, most specifically that of the Shah that ruled Iran prior to the 1979 revolution.
March 18 – Sanandaj, western #Iran
Taxi drivers in the capital of Kurdistan Province are on strike protesting skyrocketing prices and increasing expenses.#IranProtests2023 pic.twitter.com/xK1lU6NhSD— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 18, 2023
In Hamedan, midwest Iran, defiant youth targeted a repressive IRGC Basij base and set it on fire.
In Tehran, another defiant youth targeted a Mullah’s foundation building.
In the city of Sanandaj, the provincial capital of Kurdistan Province, taxi drivers were on strike on Saturday protesting skyrocketing prices and increased expenses due to the regime’s destructive economic policies.
Today In Tehran, health workers and activists were protesting the deductions in the country’s budget for disabled individuals.
March 18 – Tehran, #Iran
Health workers and activists are protesting the deductions in the country's budget for disabled individuals.#IranProtests2023 pic.twitter.com/nzI2bKHTGU— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 18, 2023
In Zanjan, northwest Iran, locals reported that municipality authorities attacked street vendors who were desperately trying to make ends meet prior to Nowruz, the Iranian calendar new year.
In Qods City, west of Tehran, Municipality authorities used water cannons to disperse street vendors while people were trying to buy goods. These poor people have no other means to make ends meet.
Zanjan, northwest #Iran
Locals say municipality authorities attacked street-vendors who are desperately trying to make ends meet prior to #Nowruz, the Iranian calendar new year.pic.twitter.com/dltnrZSDDC— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 18, 2023
In Karaj west of Tehran, courageous youths wrote graffiti on the wall reading: “Monarchy, leadership (of Khamenei), two sides of dictatorship”
In Bukan the capital of Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, on the eve of Nowruz, locals commemorated the martyrs of the uprising Shahriyar Mohammadi, Amjad Enayati, Hiva Jan Jan, Hyman Aman, Suleiman Shokri and Hajar Mam Khosravi.
On the eve of Nowruz, sanitation workers went on strike and protested their unpaid salaries which is around 40 million rials, four times below the poverty line.
March 18 – Qods City, west of Tehran, #Iran
Municipality authorities used water cannons to disperse street vendors while people were trying to buy goods. These poor people have no other means to make ends meet.pic.twitter.com/IrSAv5OOH5— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 18, 2023
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
New EU Sanctions on Iran Regime To Suppress Protests
The ultra-conservative regime in Tehran is cracking down on the protests that broke out in September after the death of a young woman who was taken away by the vice police because she allegedly did not wear her headscarf properly. Despite being suppressed, protests flare up every now and then.
EU countries have agreed to take new punitive measures against those responsible for the repression, EU sources say. Their foreign ministers still have to ratify the sanctions on Monday at their consultations in Brussels, but it is expected to be a hammer piece.
Those targeted are no longer going to be allowed to enter the EU and can no longer access any assets in the union. The EU has so far imposed such sanctions on 196 Iranians and 33 Iranian organizations and companies. These include prominent politicians and security officials.
Attempting to Woo Residents | Iranian Culture Centre Starts New Training Courses in Deir Ezzor
Deir Ezzor province: SOHR sources have reported that the Iranian cultural center in Deir Ezzor city started new training courses on first aid, barbering, and business administration, as well as literacy programs and language courses, including English, French, and Persian.
According to SOHR sources, security cameras were installed inside the Iranian culture center in Deir Ezzor city, which witnessed considerable turnout, as 200 to 300 young people joined those courses.
It is worth noting that the Iranian culture center provides breakfast meals and recreational trips for students in parks rehabilitated by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iranian-backed Militias Rehabilitate Missile Depot in Deir Ezzor City, Amid Growing Public Anger
Deir Ezzor province: SOHR sources have reported that Iranian-backed militias started rehabilitation of a missiles and ammunition warehouse in the Al-Hemaydiyah neighborhood in Deir Ezzor city. The warehouse, which is affiliated with Iranian-backed militias, witnessed a violent explosion on March 8, which killed seven people: three Syrians, three non-Syrians, and an unidentified man.
According to SOHR sources, many families living near the warehouse evacuated their houses, fearing renewed attacks, amid growing public anger over the presence of a warehouse containing missiles and weapons in the residential neighborhood.
Iran Is a Destabilizing Actor Throughout the Region – US National Security Council Coordinator
In an interview with VOA, John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic communications, stated: “Iran is a destabilizing actor throughout the region. Make no mistake about that. Whether it’s the way they’re treating their own people, whether the support for the terrorist groups – Hamas and Hezbollah as well as the Houthi rebels – or the attacks on maritime shipping and let’s not forget the provision of hundreds of lethal drones to Russia, so that Russia can, again, kill more Ukrainian people. That’s what the regime is signing up to. They’re killing their own people who are protesting in the country and they’re helping Russia kill Ukrainian citizens, innocent people who are not involved and should not have ever been invaded.”
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iranians Pay Tribute to Revolution Heroes, Continue Anti-regime Protests
As Iranians are preparing to welcome Nowruz and their new calendar year, many people in Tehran and different cities across the country paid tribute to protesters killed by the mullahs’ regime during the past six months of ongoing protests. These gatherings to honor the heroes of Iran’s revolution quickly evolved into scenes of anti-regime protests and participants were seen chanting slogans against the mullahs’ theocracy, calling for a revolution to overthrow their unjust rule, and rejecting a return to any form of dictatorship, most specifically that of Shah’s pre-1979 monarchy.
Political Prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna Handcuffed to Hospital Bed in Dire Health
Political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna has been hospitalized in dire health with her hands and feet cuffed to the bed. Evin Prison authorities urgently transferred political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna to Taleghani Hospital on Tuesday, March 14, 2023, due to severe intestinal bleeding. Security forces accompanying Ms. Mosanna in the hospital have cuffed her hands and feet to the bed, despite her dire condition.
Political prisoner Fatemeh Mosanna has been suffering from intestinal problems for a long time. Forensic physicians have confirmed that she cannot tolerate prison conditions and needs to undergo surgery. The stress harms her health and deteriorates her illness.
Latest Biden Admin Sanctions Waiver Allows $500 Million Payment for Iran, Tehran Says
The Biden administration has cleared the way for a $500 million payment to Iran’s hardline regime that was being held up by sanctions, according to Iranian officials.
Hamid Hosseini, the secretary general of the Iran-Iraq Joint Chamber of Commerce, said last week that the Biden administration had “granted another sanction waiver and allowed the payment of 500 million dollars from Iraq’s electricity debt to Iran.” Hosseini said the agreement was made while Iraq’s foreign minister was in Washington, D.C., a trip that included meetings with State Department officials.
The State Department, which has to approve sanctions waivers of this nature, would not confirm or deny the report and instead directed the Washington Free Beacon to the Treasury Department. A State Department spokesman also would not answer questions about whether this payment was raised in recent talks with the Iraqi government.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – March 17, 2023
