THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 2:00 PM
Iran: Council Broadens EU Restrictive Measures In View Of Iran Military Support Of Russia’s War Of Aggression Against Ukraine And Armed Groups In The Middle East And Red Sea Region
The Council today decided to broaden the scope of the EU framework for restrictive measures in view of Iran’s military support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. This framework, adopted in July 2023, currently prohibits the export of components used in the construction and production of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) from the EU to Iran, and provides for travel restrictions and asset freeze measures against persons responsible for, supporting or involved in Iran’s UAV’s programme.
In view of Iran’s continuing military support of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as well as of non-state armed groups in the Middle East and the Red Sea region, and following the Iranian drone and missiles attacks against Israel on 13 April 2024, the Council decided that the EU’s ability to impose restrictive measures will now cover not only UAVs, but missiles too. The EU will now be able to target persons and entities supplying, selling or otherwise being involved in transferring Iran’s missiles and UAVs:
UPDATE: 8:30 AM
Targeted Sanctions in Response to Iran’s Destabilising Activities in The Middle East
The Australian Government is imposing targeted sanctions on an additional five Iranian individuals and three entities, in response to Iran’s destabilising behaviour.
Senior officials sanctioned today include Iran’s Defence Minister, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, and the Commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Qods Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qaani. The IRGC is a malignant actor that has long been a threat to international security, and to its own people.
Those sanctioned also include Iranian senior officials, businesspeople and companies that have contributed to the development of Iran’s missile and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programs. Iran’s proliferation and provision of these technologies to its proxies has fostered instability across the region for many years.
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UPDATE: 7:30 AM
The Disastrous Outcome of The Second Round of The Sham Parliamentary Elections of Iran’s Regime
The publication of the results of the second round of the sham parliamentary elections of the Iranian regime has caused a stir. The media and regime officials describe it with phrases such as “disaster,” “scandal,” “shame,” and “sounding the alarm bell.”
Amidst this, the outrageous remarks of Ahamad Vahidi, the Minister of Interior Affairs, who had referred to this scandal as a “heroic saga,” have sparked a storm of ridicule. The state-run Ham-Mihan newspaper has sarcastically titled it as the “Eight-Percent Heroic Saga!” referring to the 8% voter turnout.
Former Minister of Communications Mohammad- Javad Azari Jahromi wrote, “Presumably, their notion of heroism refers to the 92 percent non-participation in Tehran.”
Mother and Daughter Arrested for Unknown Reason
On Sunday, May 12, two members of the same family, Farangis Fat’hi and Akram Koukhian, were arrested by security forces at their home in Malekan County, northwestern Iran.
An informed source close to the family reported that at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 12, Farangis Fat’hi and her daughter, Akram Koukhian, were violently arrested by a large number of security agents in their home located in Valiasr township, Malekan County.
The security agents broke the windows of their home during the search and seized personal belongings, including mobile phones, computer cases, and a family member’s car.
Iran’s Parliamentary Elections: A Saga of Apathy as Less Than 8% Participate
The participation of less than eight percent of Iranian citizens over the age of 18 in the second stage of the regime’s parliamentary elections in major cities like Tehran, Karaj, Shiraz, and Mashhad, coupled with reports that half of the votes cast in these cities were invalid, has once again highlighted the regime’s legitimacy crisis. This crisis has raised concerns even among the regime’s state-run media. In recent months, Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the regime, has repeatedly called for maximum participation in the elections, stating things like “Whoever accepts the Islamic Republic should come to the polls.”
Now, analysts of the regime have interpreted the refusal of more than 92 percent of Iranians to participate as a severe blow to the regime’s social base, even among the population and employees of government institutions.
Endemic Corruption Plagues Iran’s Regime
Every day, new cases of astronomical corruption come to light, either through Iran’s regime-controlled media or due to internal disputes among its officials.
From Friday prayer leader Kazem Seddiqi, accused in a corruption case involving a land deal where he and his children acquired a lush 4,200 square meters of garden in Tehran’s Ozgol area, to Tehran’s mayor Alireza Zakani, who suddenly had news revealed about signing a secret contract worth two billion euros with a relatively unknown Chinese company to purchase buses and taxis.
This contract was secretly concluded, to the extent that even some members of the city council learned of its contents only after it was published in the media. It reached a point where the head of the council’s legal committee remarked, “We are facing a mayor and a municipality that avoids scrutiny; we don’t even have access to the text of the multi-billion-dollar deal with the Chinese.”
Iran: Three Nurses Dead from Burnout in One Month
Three nurses in Iran have lost their lives due to “excessive work” in the span of one month, the Secretary-General of the Nursing Home announced their deaths due to “overwork syndrome,” known as “death due to excessive work.”
Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam told the regime’s Etemad newspaper on Sunday, May 12, that unfavorable conditions in Iranian hospitals have left nurses “tired, unmotivated, and exhausted.”
Iranian nurses protest against the shortage of staff and the subsequent heavy workload, lack of job security, and low wages that disrupt their work-life balance.
Paris—May 11, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Paris, France—May 11, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition and book display in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution, while also protesting against the increasing wave of executions by the Iranian regime.
Winchester, England—May 11, 2024: Freedom-Loving Iranians Exhibition to Support the Iranian Revolution
Winchester—May 11, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and academics living in England, supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), organized a book exhibition and petition collection to back the Iranian Revolution.
Germany—May 11, 2024: MEK Supporters Rallies and Exhibitions in Heidelberg, Bremen, Munich, and Berlin in Solidarity With the Iranian Revolution
Germany—May 11, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies and exhibitions in Heidelberg, Bremen, Munich, and Berlin to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution, while also protesting against the increasing wave of executions by the Iranian regime.