THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET
Severe Shortage of Lab Kits in Iran Puts 50+ Medical Tests on Hold
The report states that kit procurement has been challenging in recent years, and the situation has worsened to the point where obtaining them, even through the black market, has become impossible.
It’s important to note that over 80% of laboratory supplies in Iran are reliant on imports, and even items that appear to be domestically produced often depend on imported raw materials. In the past three years, the amount of foreign currency allocated for the import of laboratory equipment has significantly decreased, reaching only half of its previous allocation.
The Iranian regime’s inadequate support for domestic industries and production has stifled the country’s economic potential. Bureaucracy, corruption, and a lack of infrastructure have hindered local businesses. Overreliance on oil exports, coupled with economic mismanagement and sanctions, has made Iran dependent on imports, leaving its industries vulnerable to external pressures and economic crises.
In Bipartisan Vote, House Passes Bill Imposing Sanctions on Refineries That Process Iranian Oil
In a bipartisan vote, the GOP-led House passed legislation Friday that would impose new sanctions on ports and refineries that ship or process oil from the Iranian regime.
The Stop Harboring Iranian Petroleum Act, or SHIP Act, also would revoke visas of foreign nationals in the U.S. who help the Iranian government export its oil. The final vote was 342-69. The no votes came from 68 Democrats and one Republican, Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky.
“We won’t tolerate actions that champion terrorism and threaten our safety,” said Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas.
US, West Condemn UN for Allowing Iran To Host Human Rights Council Meeting
Western critics of Iran including the US State Department are up in arms after Iran’s representative to the United Nations was chosen as the host for a Geneva-based meeting on human rights. The move was a predictably anger-inducing decision given the extensive history of human rights abuse accusations laid at the feet of Iran’s government and its president, Ebrahim Raisi, who is personally alleged to have played a role in massacres of dissidents decades ago. It drew condemnation from many, including the US ambassador to the council who refused to participate altogether.
At a press briefing hosted by an Iranian dissident group, the NCRI, other European experts including the president of the Italian Federation of Human Rights discussed a wide range of alleged Iranian human rights abuses. A letter was circulated with more than 100 human rights advocate signatories including Nobel laureates condemning the UN’s decision.
“Allowing a regime notorious for committing the 1988 massacre and daily executions and warmongering to take over a prestigious UN platform is a dagger to the heart of human rights, fuels terrorism, and endangers regional and global peace,” the letter reads.
UPDATE: 2:00 PM CET
Clash Between Security Forces and University Staff in Shahrekord
On Thursday, November 2, security forces from the Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province clashed with the staff of Shahrekord University while attempting to demolish the eastern wall of the university campus. During the confrontation, one of the university’s academic staff members was arrested.
This clash arose from a dispute over the occupation of 12 hectares of land belonging to Shahrekord University. It escalated due to the tension that arose during discussions between the university’s leadership and the Protection Unit from the Department of Urban Planning. The security forces used shockers, and physical violence against both students and professors, cracking down on the people present.
Fire Erupts at Drug Rehabilitation Center in Gilan Province, Iran
A fire outbreak at a drug rehabilitation center in Langroud County, Gilan Province, has tragically claimed the lives of 32 individuals while leaving 17 others injured.
The Tasnim News Agency, linked to the IRGC Quds Force, reported on November 3 that a fire broke out in the early morning at the addiction treatment facility in Koulbar, Langroud, resulting in 32 fatalities. Additionally, 17 individuals sustained injuries, with 16 of them being transported to the hospital for treatment.
The regime has not officially disclosed the cause of the fire or the extent of the casualties.
The incident occurred at 5:45 AM on November 3, as reported. The Fars News Agency stated that the rehabilitation center is situated at the beginning of Komeleh Road and was accommodating 40 individuals at the time of the incident.
Subsequently, the head of Gilan University of Medical Sciences confirmed that the death toll had risen to 32 individuals.
Hagerty Leads Colleagues Urging Biden Admin to Re-Designate Iran-Backed Houthis as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
“Re-designating the Houthis as an FTO would send a powerful message that the United States views this group as a clear threat to our Allies and partners and to regional stability in the Middle East,” the Senators wrote. “Since Hamas’s savage terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, the Houthis have launched three attacks against the Jewish state and promised to carry out more strikes ‘until the Israeli aggression stops.’”
Official Stats Reveal Iran’s Water Crisis Has Worsened
On October 29, Eisa Mansouri, a state-affiliated expert in development studies, revealed some concerning statistics. He pointed out that back in 1980, when Iran’s population was 36 million, the country had access to a substantial 140 billion cubic meters of water resources. However, fast forward to today, with a population of 87 million, Iran is left with only about 90 billion cubic meters of water resources.
This indicates a significant 30% reduction in available water resources, especially alarming when you consider that water consumption has increased by 34%. These conditions have led to a surge in internal migration, with the number of abandoned villages rising from 36,000 to 40,000.
Previously, Mohammad Darvish, an environmental activist, had highlighted one of the consequences of Iran’s dire water crisis. He explained that over the past few decades, more than 40,000 villages in Iran have been deserted due to drought and water scarcity.
Furthermore, Iran ranks 57th among 63 countries in terms of using renewable energy sources, 49th concerning regional policies, and 61st when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions.
In a report by the World Health Organization, it is estimated that 6.6 million residents in rural areas of Iran, not just in arid regions but even in areas with higher rainfall, are living under significant water stress. Additionally, 11.9 million people in urban areas are also facing similar water stress challenges.
UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET
Iran Urged to End New Rights Clampdown Following Teenage Girl’s Death
They issued a statement expressing shock over the death of Armita Geravand, the teenager who collapsed in the subway in Iran’s capital, Tehran, earlier this month, allegedly following an altercation about failing to wear a headdress or hijab.
Ms. Geravand died on Saturday, according to international reports which cited State media. The experts called for an independent, prompt, and impartial investigation into her death, noting that the Government maintains that she suffered brain damage from her fall.
“Women and girls should not be punished for wearing or not wearing any specific piece of clothing and should certainly not be at risk of losing their lives for doing so,” they said.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
PMOI Resistance Units Hold Anti-Regime Activities Ahead of the Anniversary of the 2019 Uprising
November 15 will mark the fourth anniversary of the November 2019 nationwide uprising in Iran. At the time, a sudden hike in the prices of fuel triggered protests that quickly spread to more than 100 cities and resurfaced public hatred towards the mullahs’ regime for decades of repression and corruption. The regime only managed to avoid its total collapse through the brutal massacre of more than 1,500 unarmed protesters with the help of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), the Basij, and the State Security Forces (SSF). But the root causes of the uprising remained, which flared up again in 2022 after the murder of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini by the regime’s so-called morality police. Following her death, anti-regime protests erupted in more than 190 cities and continued for several months, bringing the regime closer to its downfall. Again, the regime only managed to survive through brutal suppression.
Iran’s Regime Invests Huge Sums on Technology For Suppressing Protests
Hassan Karami, the commander of the special police units in the Iranian regime, announced on Friday, October 27, 2023, during an interview with state-run media, the launch of a smart facial recognition system to facilitate the identification of citizens participating in street protests. He also disclosed efforts to enhance the accuracy of domestic weapons for crowd control.
It appears that the regime’s security and military authorities have allocated substantial resources in recent months to equip their police forces, Basij, and plainclothes units with the aim of detaining, suppressing, and, in some cases, inflicting harm on protesting citizens. This investment is driven by concerns over the resurgence of street protests against the regime, similar to those that began in September of the previous year.
Most Iranians Struggle To Pay For Healthcare
Iran’s healthcare system is in a state of collapse, facing a dire crisis that has profound implications for the well-being of its citizens.
Recently, Iran’s regime’s President, Ebrahim Raisi, made a striking admission during a speech. He responded to the families of certain patients who had gathered in front of the parliament to protest the lack of access to medicine by saying, “Life is in the hands of God.”
These words triggered a wave of furious reactions, with many considering it a clear indication of how the regime handles healthcare. A recent report from the Iranian Statistics Center reinforces the fact that access to healthcare in Iran has turned into a matter of class and commodification over the years.
The Death Sentence of a Woman Was Carried Out in Yasuj Prison
According to Iran Human Rights Monitor (IranHRM), in the early morning of Wednesday, November 1, 2023, the death sentence of a prisoner named Maryam Forough Manesh, from Dehdasht in the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, was carried out in Yasuj Central Prison.
According to the reports received by IranHRM, Maryam Forough Manesh was previously arrested on charges of intentional murder and later sentenced to death by the judiciary of the Iranian regime. As of the moment this report was prepared, the execution of this prisoner has not been announced by the prison authorities or judicial institutions.
October 2023 Report: The Harrowing Ordeal of Armita Geravand
October in Iran started with the brutal assault on Armita Geravand by a Hijab patrol and ended with the unfortunate news of her death, and the tremendous pressure the intelligence and security services imposed on her family to prevent any uncontrolled moves during her burial and funeral ceremony. The world condemned this murder and called for an independent investigation of the case. However, the tragic loss of Armita Geravand, a young woman of innocence and immense talent, is a void that can never be filled. She paid the ultimate price while resisting the oppressive mandates imposed by the clerical regime on the Iranian populace, particularly the compulsory veil enforced on women and girls.
Maryam Forough-Manesh Hanged in Yasuj Prison; 18 Women Executed in 2023 So Far
Another unfortunate woman, Maryam Forough-Manesh, was hanged in the Central Prison of Yasuj at dawn on Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
The news of the execution of this execution has not been published by the Iranian state media and press at the time of writing this report.
Maryam Forough-Manesh was from Dehdasht, in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad Province in southwestern Iran. She had been convicted of murder and sentenced to death. It is not yet clear how many years she was incarcerated.
Iran’s Regime to Pay Workers Under 20 Only 70% of Actual Wages
Iranian workers are under unprecedented pressure. Under the tyrannical rule of the mullahs, Iran’s workers are not only suffering from low wages, lack of job security and social and health insurance, but they’re also deprived of the most basic rights that every worker in the world should enjoy. The increasing downturn in Iran’s economy has led to an ever-growing economic and social crisis manifested in unprecedented rates of unemployment, poverty, and inequality.
The Secretary of the “National Workers’ Associations (ICEA)” criticized proposals such as “paying 70 percent of the wages to workers under 20 years old to solve unemployment,” saying that such proposals are not “effective.”
The regime’s Majlis Research Center presented recommendations in a report for the “solution to the unemployment problem” in the Seventh Development Program, one of which suggests that, in order to reduce the youth unemployment rate, the minimum wage specifically for individuals under 20 years old and without insurance history should be reduced to 70 percent of the approved minimum wage.
Zurich, Switzerland—October 31, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Photo Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Zurich, Switzerland—October 31, 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.
Berkeley, California, USA: MEK Supporters Held a Photo Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution—October 27, 2023
Berkeley, California, USA: On Friday, October 27, 2023, Iranian-American Community of Northern California volunteers were on campus of the University of California (UC Berkeley) for holding an exhibition in support of the Iranian people, who have risen for regime change and are paying the price for it with their lives.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – November 2, 2023