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UPDATE: 8:00 PM CET
Wednesday Protests in Iran
On Wednesday, November 29, employees of the Aghajari Oil and Gas Exploitation Company gathered once again to protest the lack of attention to their demands. The official staff of the Ministry of Oil, stationed in operational centers, outlined the following demands:
- Complete removal of salary ceilings.
- Elimination of the age limit for retirement.
- Reimbursement of excess taxes.
- Full implementation of Article 10, including the payment of back pay resulting from delays in its implementation.
- Non-interference with the employees’ pension fund.
Furthermore, on Tuesday, November 28, recently hired employees who had undergone exams and legal procedures in various operational and headquarters centers of the Ministry of Oil held a protest. Their grievances included unsatisfactory living conditions, receiving lower and unfair salaries compared to other employees, and the lack of attention to their demands and requests.
November 29—Aghajari, southwest #Iran
Oil workers continue their rallies, protesting authorities' silence on their demands for higher wages, experience bonuses, and other basic needs.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/6mJwDv4TuN— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 29, 2023
November 29—Sarbandar, southwest #Iran
Municipality workers on strike, protesting unpaid wages and the regime ignoring their demands.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/bAtezhPq3p— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 29, 2023
US Puts Sanctions on More Than 20 Individuals, Entities
WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) – The U.S. Treasury Department said on Wednesday it had imposed sanctions on more than 20 individuals and entities for their involvement in financial facilitation networks to benefit Iran’s defense ministry and other parts of its military.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Comment by Un Human Rights Office Spokesperson Liz Throssell on Executions of a Child and a Young Man in Iran
We deplore the executions by Iranian authorities of a 17-year-old child and of a 22-year-old man, on 24 November 2023.
The execution of Hamidreza Azari, who was accused of murder, is the first reported execution of an alleged child offender in Iran this year. We remind Iranian authorities of their obligation, under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, to prohibit death sentences and their implementation for crimes committed by individuals below the age of 18.
We are also troubled by the execution, on the same day, of 22-year-old Milad Zohrevand – the eighth person to be executed in the context of the September 2022 protests. Available information indicates that his trial lacked the basic requirements for due process under international human rights law. There are also troubling reports that Zohrevand’s parents were arrested following his execution.
Senior Iranian Advisor Reveals Regime’s Agenda in Stirring Crises in the Middle East and Purging Insiders
The statements of a senior advisor to the Supreme Leader of the Iranian regime further underscore Tehran’s domestic and regional initiatives aimed at creating the ongoing crises in the Middle East.
In a news report aired on November 27 on state television, Haddad Adel, a senior advisor to Ali Khamenei and a member of the Expediency Discernment Council stated, “In the Islamic world and the Arab world, all the puppet Western governments that acted according to the U.S. plan, calling it the Middle East or, in our terms, West Asia, you saw how quickly they were normalizing relations. However, a new reality has emerged in the past two or three years inspired by the Islamic Revolution, inspired by the Basij mindset that compensated for the impracticality and betrayal of some Arab governments. Within our own country, undoubtedly, the political and intellectual movements that are optimistic about the West, thinking that they can sit and laugh with the Americans and that the issue of Iran can be solved with the help of mere words, are becoming less prominent, and their presence is fading.”
Iranian State Officials Admits Tehran’s Role in Middle East Crisis
As the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continues to underscore Tehran’s destructive influence, the regime finds itself grappling with the fear of potential consequences. In response, state officials are making concerted efforts to boost the morale of the regime’s forces, projecting an illusion of victory. This calculated move inadvertently serves as an admission of the regime’s involvement in the crisis, risking heightened international scrutiny and further exposing its impact on the region.
Mojtaba Abtahi, Secretary-General of the “Palestinian Uprising Conference,” stated on the state-run “Shabake Khabar” television, “Years ago, when His Eminence [the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei] advised that the West Bank ought to be armed, the enemy perceived that, given Hamas’s control over the Gaza Strip, Iran is disheartened by the developments in Gaza. They thought we would hope that Islamic Jihad could shift the conflict to the West Bank. The enemy was content with the notion that Gaza would not factor into these equations. Many in our country questioned why Islamic Jihad solely confronts Israel, and why IJP commanders become martyrs in Gaza, while our counterparts in Hamas refrain from entering this battle. They were unaware that a significant surprise was in the making.”
On the same television network, the statements of Ahmad Zolghadr, a commander of the IRGC, were broadcast on November 27.
He stated, “We exported our revolution in the war; we exported Hezbollah’s nuclei to the world. Today, no matter if we would remain or not, the freedom-seekers continue this path. You can see the role of martyr [Mohsen] Fakhrizadeh in Gaza. No one can say we provided them with missiles, but they can understand that the knowledge is developing today.”
Federal Officials Investigating After Pro-Iran Group Allegedly Hacked Water Authority in Pennsylvania
A Pennsylvania water utility is still dealing with the fallout of pro-Iran hackers breaching some of its industrial equipment four days ago, including having to operate one of its water pump stations in manual mode, the utility’s general manager told CNN on Tuesday.
“It’s a pain,” Robert J. Bible said. “Somebody’s got to wake up at 3 in the morning and go turn on or turn off those pump stations. It’s just a big inconvenience until we can get the (automated) system back up and running.”
The hackers breached the equipment – which the Pittsburgh-area utility uses to manage water pressure – on the Friday night after Thanksgiving, displaying a message on the monitor that Israel-made gear was fair game amid the ongoing Israeli-Hamas war and stunning Bible, general manager of the Municipal Water Authority of Aliquippa, and his colleagues.
Senate Moves to Redesignate Iran-Backed Houthis as Terror Group Amid Strikes on US
The legislation—led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) and six Republican colleagues—will be introduced this week and will reapply all sanctions on the Houthis that were lifted in 2021 when the Biden administration took office and removed the Iran-sponsored rebel group from the U.S. terror list.
Iran’s Dictators State Piracy, Warmongering and Kidnappings Cannot Be Ignored Any Longer – Struan Stevenson
As a regime which for more than 40 years has sponsored violent abduction, blackmail, piracy, assassination, warmongering and oppression, the Iranian dictatorship has no equal. They have ploughed men and resources into proxy wars in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Gaza. They have openly backed terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas and, through the extra-territorial Quds Force of their Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), they have directed extremist operations throughout the Middle East and further afield, even sending registered diplomats on terror missions. Now they are supplying kamikaze drones to Russia for use in their illegal war in Ukraine.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Message to Conference at the UK Parliament, “Countering Iranian Regime’s Warmongering”
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s speech: “The honorable members of the British Parliament, Distinguished personalities and dear friends.
First, I would like to thank you for your valuable efforts in defense of the Iranian people’s struggle to overthrow the mullahs’ religious fascism. The joint statement by 525 members of the Houses of Commons and Lords from all parties, supporting the recognition of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and the designation of the Revolutionary Guard Corps (the IRGC) as a terrorist entity is unforgettable. There was also a recent cross-party statement by members of the UK parliament, who called for the designation of the IRGC as a terrorist entity. The statement notes that the root cause of most of the problems in the Middle East is the policy of the Iranian regime and the IRGC.
PMOI Supporter Ali Saber Motlaq Executed Amidst Killing Spree in Iran’s Prisons
Iran’s regime has secretly executed political prisoner Ali Saber Motlaq in Lakan Prison, Rasht, according to information received from the families of prisoners in this facility. Motlaq, 62, was a longtime supporter of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). He was once arrested and imprisoned in the 1980s due to his support for the PMOI. He was arrested again in 2020 and remained in prison until his execution. The regime’s judiciary accused him of having killed a senior regime official in Rasht in 1981, an accusation that Ali never accepted. Saber Motlaq went on a hunger strike for a month in March 2021. He was suffering from severe kidney and liver disease.
The Causes and Consequences of Iran’s Unprecedented Migration Surge
The migration trend in Iran, encompassing diverse social classes, from highly skilled professionals to laborers, is undergoing a profound transformation, gaining momentum each day. Analyzing statistical data not only underscores the surge in migration numbers but also sheds light on the rapid acceleration of this phenomenon, attracting attention from international media.
Internal economic and political pressures, compounded by the specter of potential conflict, have fueled a growing exodus of Iranians seeking opportunities abroad. The Iranian Migration Observatory’s data reveals a substantial increase in asylum requests, student visas, and work permits, indicating an era of uncontrolled mass migration that is reshaping the demographics of the nation.
Confidential Document Reveals 2,850 Hijab Monitors Recruited in Tehran’s Metro Stations
One of the semi-official dailies in Iran published the cliché of a highly confidential document by the Ministry of Interior, which indicated the presence of 2,850 Hijab Monitors in the metro stations. (The state-run Etemad daily newspaper, November 26, 2023). The Iranian judiciary’s official news agency, Mizan, wrote Tehran’s Prosecutor had filed a complaint against Etemad newspaper for publishing a confidential document.
However, according to Article 11 of the law on publications and freedom of access to information, “A ratification or decision which is a general duty cannot be classified as government secrets and they must be published.”
Meat 82% More Expensive as Iran Sees Surge in Inflation
According to the Iranian regime’s Statistical Center, the point-to-point inflation rate of the “food and beverage” group increased in November. According to the report, among food items, red meat had a point-to-point inflation rate of over 82 percent, followed by various types of fish with a record inflation rate of 72.4 percent, making it the highest inflation rate among food items in the second month of autumn.
Point-to-point inflation refers to the percentage change in the price index compared to the same month of the previous year.
The 39.2-percent point-to-point inflation rate for households in the country means that, on average, households have spent 39.2 percent more than in November of last year to purchase a “basket of goods and services.”
Paris, France—November 28, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Photo Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Paris, France—November 28, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a photo exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution and commemorated the martyrs of the nationwide uprising of the Iranian people.
The Hague, The Netherlands—November 25, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Brutal Executions in Iran
The Hague, The Netherlands—November 25, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally and exhibition in front of the Dutch Foreign Ministry in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. This rally served as a tribute to the martyrs of the nationwide Iranian uprising especially Milad Zohrehvand, a 21-year-old brave son of the people of Malayer. He was executed secretly and without informing his family at Hamedan Central Prison on Thursday, November 23.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – November 28, 2023