THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
More Protests Reported on Wednesday
Today, employees of Aghajari Oil and Gas Exploitation Company, stationed at the Parsi Dareney field, gathered in protest due to unaddressed demands. The Ministry of Oil workers in operational centers formally expressed their dissatisfaction, calling for the complete removal of salary ceilings, the elimination of retirement age restrictions, refund of excess tax deductions, full implementation of Article 10 with prompt payment, and non-interference with the oil employees’ pension fund.
November 22—Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Protests erupt as regime Vice President Mohammad Mokhber visits the Water and Sewage Company of Ahvaz.
People chant, "Shame on you! Shame on you!"#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/3kyH2Bcn4w— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 22, 2023
DOJ Charges Binance With Vast Money-Laundering Scheme and Sanctions Violations
For years, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, has been dogged by rumors of malfeasance and federal investigations. Today, in a set of accusations that will rock the already tumultuous world of crypto, the US Department of Justice revealed criminal charges against the company and its chief executive, Changpeng Zhao, claiming they enabled the laundering of vast flows of dirty money across the globe, from Cuba to Iran to Russia.
The indictment against Binance, unsealed ahead of a press conference by US Attorney General Merrick Garland, accuses the company of billions of dollars of transactions that violated US anti-money-laundering laws, including well over a billion dollars of actual criminal transactions and sanctions evasions. Separate indictments specifically charge Zhao and former chief compliance officer Samuel Lim with allowing those illicit transactions to take place.
Iran’s Barring of Inspectors Is Serious Blow to IAEA’s Work, Grossi Says
VIENNA, Nov 22 (Reuters) – Iran’s barring of some of the U.N. nuclear watchdog’s most experienced and expert inspectors from the team allowed to operate there is a “very serious blow” to the agency’s work, the watchdog’s chief Rafael Grossi said on Wednesday.
Tehran informed the International Atomic Energy Agency in September that it was taking the step, known as de-designation. The IAEA said at the time that while Iran is allowed to do that, the way it was done was unprecedented and harmful to its work.
“It’s a very serious blow to our capacity to do that,” Grossi told a news conference when asked to what extent the move had affected the IAEA’s ability to carry out meaningful inspections in Iran. He is urging Tehran to reconsider.
Spanish Politician Shot in Madrid Points Finger at Iran
MADRID, Nov 22 (Reuters) – The Spanish politician shot in Madrid earlier this month accused Iran on Wednesday of being behind his attempted murder in a message delivered to a conference organised by Iranian opposition supporters.
Alejo Vidal-Quadras, a founder of Spain’s far-right Vox party and former head of its centre-right People’s Party in Catalonia, was shot in the face in broad daylight on a pavement in the wealthy Salamanca neighbourhood of central Madrid on Nov. 9 by a motorbike pillion passenger.
The 78-year-old politician, who was European Parliament vice-president between 2009 and 2014, was described shortly after the shooting as a “staunch supporter” of Iran’s opposition movement and the campaign for human rights in Iran over 25 years.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Wednesday Protests in Iran
Today, November 22, students from the Faculty of Psychology at the National University (commonly known as Beheshti University) protested against the crackdown and the unlawful actions of security personnel toward students. They expressed their dissent by boycotting classes.
In a show of solidarity on November 22, students from the Computer Faculty at Sharif University went on strike to support their counterparts protesting at the National University.
As of today, protests persist for the second consecutive day in places like Sanandaj, Rasht, Fasa, and others, where students are gathering to advocate for their demands.
November 22—Tehran, #Iran
Students at the National University (Beheshti) hold rally to protest increasing security measures in the campus and attacks by security forces against students.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/tgsXVVSqxj— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 22, 2023
November 22—Sanandaj, western #Iran
Nurses continue their protest rallies as the regime continues to ignore their demands for higher salaries, the payment of overdue wages, and other improvements to their work conditions.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/iIGOTyAdQf— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 22, 2023
November 22—Rasht, northern #Iran
Protest rally by nurses, who are facing severe pressures to their livelihoods under the regime's destructive policies. The protesters demand changes to tariff and salary policies and the payment of overdue wages.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/SAXrtIHZJB— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 22, 2023
Police Are Looking for a Fourth Person Involved in the Shooting of Vidal-Quadras, of Tunisian Origin
The National Police are searching for a fourth person involved in the attempted murder of Alejo Vidal-Quadras. He is a man of Tunisian nationality who is allegedly believed to be responsible for the shot that wounded the co-founder of Vox and former leader of the Popular Party in Catalonia, sources close to the investigation have confirmed to El Confidencial.
Counter-terrorism officers have already arrested three other people in connection with the attack in the last few hours. Two suspects, a man and a woman, were hiding in Lanjarón (Granada), while another man was in Fuengirola (Málaga). All had been under close surveillance for several days.
US Forces Carry Out Series of Strikes Against Iran-Backed Militia in Iraq
WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, Nov 21 (Reuters) – The United States carried out two series of strikes in Iraq against Iranian-backed militants, U.S. officials said on Tuesday, in the first publicly reported U.S. responses in Iraq to dozens of recent attacks against troops in the region.
Until this week, the United States had been reluctant to retaliate in Iraq because of the delicate political situation there.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani has limited control over the Iranian-backed militias, whose support he needed to win power a year ago and who now form a powerful bloc in his governing coalition.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
The IRGC’s Deep Investment in Terrorism, Warmongering, and Hostage-Taking
Every day, the world is becoming more familiar with the destructive role Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in causing war and chaos in the region. This reality has become so evident that politicians and lawmakers are describing the West’s continued dithering in proscribing the IRGC as a political disgrace and backwardness. Many leaders, parliamentarians, and political figures around the world have acknowledged that the IRGC is the main and pivotal organ of domestic repression, warmongering in the region, and the expansion of hostage-taking and assassination in Europe and America.
Three decades ago, Mohsen Rafiqdoust, the former Minister of the IRGC, explicitly confessed to the regime’s involvement in the explosion of the headquarters of American and French servicemen in Beirut and the killing of 400 American and French military and non-military personnel, and said, “Those explosive materials that were combined with that ideology sent 400 officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers to hell at the Marines barracks. Both the TNT was Iranian and its ideology had come from Iran.”
Hijab Monitors Ramp Up Harassment Against Women in Tehran’s Subway
In recent days, images depicting the Tehran subway have surfaced on social media, revealing a new cadre of individuals associated with the self-proclaimed Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice.
Officially unaffiliated, this group, comprised of both men and women, many of whom obscure their faces, identifies as ‘Ambassadors of Guidance.’ Positioned along the subway corridors leading to exits, they confront and admonish women not adhering to hijab, even resorting to photographing them without consent.
Disturbingly, some members of this group verbally assault women and girls in an egregious manner. Unidentified individuals in plain clothes surreptitiously film people’s faces without permission.
Nasim Sultan Beigi Is Detained To Serve Her 3.5 Years in Prison
Nasim Sultan Beigi, a journalist, was taken to the women’s ward of Evin Prison to begin serving her sentence of three years and six months. She was arrested today, Tuesday, November 21, 2023, upon reporting to the First Branch of the Implementation of Verdicts Office at Evin Courthouse. Nasim Sultan Beigi, a former student activist and journalist, was arrested by IRGC intelligence officers at the airport on January 11, 2023, and was transferred to Evin prison. She was temporarily released on bail on February 6, 2023, until the end of her trial.
In August 2023, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced Nasim Sultan Beigi to 7 months and 16 days in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the state” and three years and six months in prison on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security.”
Iran’s Children in Dire Conditions, According to Government Report
Amidst widespread criticism of how the Iranian government treats children, Amin Hossein Rahimi, the Minister of Justice, announced that a report on the status of Iranian children has finally been sent to the United Nations after a “several-year delay.”
Rahimi, speaking on a television program on November 20, did not mention the date of the report’s submission, nor did he specify the exact length of the delay in sending the report.
Rahimi also did not provide any details about the content of the report. The news of the several-year delay in preparing and submitting this report comes as the Minister of Justice himself stated in his remarks on Monday that the “most important international duty” of the Ministry of Justice as the “national reference for children’s rights” is to prepare this very report for submission to the United Nations.
MEK Supporters Rallied in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution in European Cities – November 18, 2023
November 18, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized rallies and exhibitions in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution in European cities including, Cologne, Malmö, Aarhus, Düsseldorf, Heidelberg, and Helsinki.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – November 21, 2023