THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Iran Uprising at a Glance – Day 191
Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran
Saturday, March 25, 2023 – 2 PM ET
- Days: 191
- Protests: 282 cities
- Fatalities: 750+ estimated deaths, 672 identified by MEK
- Detentions: 30,000
Iran’s nationwide uprising marked its 191st day on Saturday following yesterday’s major demonstration in Zahedan, the capital of the southeastern province of Sistan & Baluchistan. Thousands of brave Baluch residents took to the streets chanting slogans against the regime and their security forces, while calling for an end to the theocracy and lambasting the past dictatorial regime, namely Shah’s monarchy.
Defiant youth across the country launched a massive campaign of 12 protest acts on Friday night and early Saturday morning targeting various regime sites engaged in suppression and regime posters/banners. These included:
- Setting ablaze a center in Shahrekord, southwest Iran, used by the mullahs to spread their ideology of hatred, misogyny, and fundamentalism.
- Targeting the office of the regime’s local Friday prayer imam, also the representative of Khamenei in Khomeinishahr, central Iran with Molotov cocktails.
- Targeting IRGC paramilitary Basij bases in Tehran, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Zahedan with Molotov cocktails.
- Torching posters/banners of Khamenei and regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran and Isfahan.
March 24 – Bandar Anzali, northern #Iran
Protesters using Molotov cocktails attacked a branch of the regime's National Bank.#IranRevoIution pic.twitter.com/5eGKDHPIhD— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 24, 2023
Late last night, in Bandar Anzali, northern Mazandaran Province, defiant youth used Molotov cocktails to target a branch of the regime’s National Bank, which along with other regime financial institutions plunder the nation’s wealth and is engaged in money laundering to circumvent international sanctions.
In the city of Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, western Iran, taxi drivers were on strike today protesting the high prices for spare parts and their low incomes. Last Saturday, in the city of Sanandaj, the provincial capital of Kurdistan, taxi drivers were on strike protesting skyrocketing prices and increased expenses due to the regime’s destructive economic policies.
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
Workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company in the city of Shush of Khuzestan Province in southwest Iran held a rally protesting their extremely low paychecks set by the regime’s Supreme Labor Council. These oppressed workers have long been holding rallies, including one on March 11, protesting the company officials’ refusal to address their demands.
March 11 – Haft Tappeh, southwest #Iran
A group of workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company held a gathering today protesting company officials' refusal to address their demands.#IranProtests2023 pic.twitter.com/cbWvZ9EAEH— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 11, 2023
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
US House Foreign Affairs Chair McCaul Urges Stronger Deterrence Against Iran
Washington, DC – House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement in response to the tragic attack on U.S. forces in Syria, conducted with an Iranian-origin UAV, which killed an American contractor and wounded five servicemembers and a contractor. Prior to this attack, Iranian proxies had attacked U.S. forces 78 times since the beginning of 2021, yet this administration only responded kinetically three times.
“I strongly condemn the UAV attack on Americans in Northeast Syria and extend my deepest sympathies to those impacted. Our deterrence against Iran is broken, even as Iran is only months from having a nuclear weapon. We need to restore our deterrence against Iran or face further devastating consequences.”
This is further confirmation that the US must stand strong against the IRGC and Iranian terrorism which clearly still has a stronghold in Syria and throughout the region. The Iranian regime is a threat to regional and global peace. https://t.co/RC1gGct0Ri
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) March 24, 2023
Yesterday, Iran murdered an American contractor and injured five American service members. Officials report that an Iranian suicide drone was responsible for the strike on our coalition base in northeast Syria.
(1/3) https://t.co/rO7CqpzxPA— Rep. Pat Fallon (@RepPatFallon) March 24, 2023
Rogers Statement on Deadly Attack on U.S. Forces in Syria
“I am praying for the family and loved ones of the American contractor that was killed and the American contractor and servicemembers that were injured in this horrific attack by IRGC-backed proxies.
“This is a warning: any terrorist reckless enough to attack U.S. forces will face a swift and decisive response. U.S. operations against IRGC-backed terror groups, including yesterday’s airstrikes, are critical aspects of our counterterrorism efforts – our military will respond with force against those who harm Americans.
By Attacking US Forces, Tehran is Trying to Project Itself As Strong, Says Former NATO Commander
In an interview with CNN on Friday, March 24, General Wesley Clark, the former supreme commander of NATO forces, said: “The Iranian regime is struggling with enormous internal resistance. These protests, which began last fall, are still continuing to some extent inside Iran. The regime is not stable and it projects itself and builds its reputation by these actions externally.”
State Department Encourages UK to Designate Iran’s Military Force as a Terrorist Group
The State Department says it would support a decision by the United Kingdom to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist group, the latest sign that the Biden administration is giving up hopes of reviving the Iran nuclear deal.
“We encourage our allies and partners to use any appropriate tools to pressure the IRGC,” a State Department spokesman told the Washington Free Beacon, following reports the administration was lobbying the U.K. against a designation. “It is up to each country or bloc of countries to determine what designations are applicable under their available legal authorities and in their best interests.”
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iran Sees New Unrest as Baluchis Launch More Protests
People from different walks of life in Iran are continuing their protests against the mullahs’ regime, especially criticizing the ruling dictatorship’s disastrous economic policies. Inflation is rampant, prices of basic goods are skyrocketing, the country’s national currency, the rial, is nosediving against the U.S. dollar, while unemployment continues to climb to dangerous levels.
As Friday marks the 190th day of Iran’s nationwide uprising, people in various cities across the country have been holding rallies, gatherings, demonstrations, and using other methods to voice their grievances. The people of Sistan & Baluchestan Province are also launching new protests today.
The Plight of Zeinab Jalalian: A Woman’s Struggle for Freedom and Justice
Zeinab Jalalian, a Kurdish woman, has spent 15 years in prison in Iran and is now entering her 16th year of imprisonment. She is the longest-held and only female political prisoner with a life sentence in Iran. During her imprisonment, she was tortured and deprived of her right to leave, even for medical treatment. She has also been illegally and violently moved between different prisons. This report presents the current situation of Zeinab Jalalian in Yazd prison.
Continued Protests in Iran Reflect the People’s Demand for Democratic Change
Iran has just marked the Persian new year 1402. The previous year proved to be a tumultuous time for the Iranian regime. While 1401 was marked by setbacks for the regime, it was also a year of optimism and transformation for the Iranian people. At the outset of 1401, no one could have anticipated the sweeping social and political changes that would transpire. In the summer of 2021, Ebrahim Raisi took office as the regime’s president. Despite giving flourishing promises for progress, he has demonstrated little capacity to address the regime’s shortcomings, following in the footsteps of his predecessors. As a result, a fresh wave of repression has taken hold, particularly regarding women and the enforcement of the hijab.
Workers’ Wages Cover One-third of the Poverty Line in 2023!
Raisi’s government increased the minimum wage of workers for 1402 by only 27%. According to the report of IRNA state news agency (20, March,2023), the basic monthly salary of workers increased from 4 million 179 thousand Tomans to 5 million 307 thousand 330 Tomans.
This is despite the fact that the officially declared inflation rate is more than 47%, which of course is much lower than the actual inflation figure; Because the inflation concerning the main food items is more than 70%. The price increase of some food items from March 2022 to March 2023 was as follows (Source: Governmental website Etemad online 20, March 2022).
Stockholm—March 22, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Front of the Swedish Court, Seeking Justice for the 1988 Massacre Victims
Stockholm, Sweden—March 22, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians, and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally on the ninth session of the appeal trial of the executioner Hamid Noury in front of the court. They are seeking justice for more than 30,000 martyrs of the 1988 massacre.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – March 24, 2023
