THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
McConnell Calls for Allies To Impose New Severe Sanctions Against Iran
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is calling for new severe sanctions against Iran in response to attacks carried out by Hamas fighters against Israeli civilians over the weekend.
U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jonathan Finer said early Monday that Iran was “broadly complicit” in the Hamas attack on Israel over the weekend, and a spokesman for Hamas told the BBC Monday that Hamas had received support from Iran to conduct the attacks, which caught Israel Defense Forces off guard. McConnell, in a Wall Street Journal op-ed published Monday afternoon, called on Western allies to “reimpose extensive multilateral sanctions on Tehran.”
Macron Hints at Iran’s Involvement in Hamas Attacks
French President Emmanuel Macron slammed Iran’s public statements on Hamas’ attack against Israel on Tuesday, hinting that Tehran had supported the terrorists in the form of “aid” and “cooperation.” But he said he had “no comment to make on Iran’s direct involvement” in the atrocities, and that intelligence was still being gathered with allies. His remarks come after a trickle of news reports pointing to Tehran’s active involvement in launching the murderous incursion into Israeli territory, during which Palestinian militants killed hundreds of civilians.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
Today, a group of government employees in various cities across Iran took to the streets to express their outrage at the authorities’ failure to pay their wages and compensate for a lifelong service to the system.
October 10—Kermanshah, western #Iran
Protest rally by retired government employees, demanding higher pensions and other basic needs that the regime has denied them.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/RZvBxzpQXM— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 10, 2023
October 10—Shushtar, southwest #Iran
Rally by the employees of the water & sewage company, protesting unpaid wages and insurance.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/nTWpSVeZEG— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 10, 2023
October 10—Takestan, northern #Iran
Protest rally by defrauded customers of the state-backed Rezayat Khodro car company.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/XdbX06ZtRu— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 10, 2023
Hamas Received Weapons and Training From Iran, Officials Say
Jonathan Finer, the White House’s deputy national security adviser, said in an interview with CBS News: “What I can say without a doubt is that Iran is broadly complicit in these attacks. Iran has been Hamas’s primary backer for decades. They have provided them weapons. They have provided them training. They have provided them financial support. And so, in terms of broad complicity, we are very clear about a role for Iran.”
The West Must Wake Up to Iran’s Threat
The Iranian regime was quick to congratulate Hamas when news first emerged on Saturday of its shocking attack on Israel. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, even issued a grotesque statement in support of the terrorist group’s atrocities on social media, accompanied by a video of young concert-goers fleeing for their lives from Hamas gunmen.
Tehran has never made any secret of its genocidal intent towards the Jewish state. It has long backed, financially and militarily, proxy groups such as Hamas and Hizbollah that seek the country’s destruction. In this case, however, its involvement may have run even deeper. Iranian intelligence officials have been accused of having had a direct role in planning and giving the green light to Hamas’s latest attack.
But Iran had not changed. It remained one of the world’s leading sponsors of terrorism, and there was widespread scepticism about whether its nuclear promises could be trusted. So Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement and later ordered the assassination of Qasem Soleimani, one of the masterminds of the Iranian terror network. Sanctions were reimposed and a policy of punishing Tehran for its crimes seemed to have some practical effect.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Why Khomeini Faces Growing Criticism Even Among Iranian Regime Loyalists
“Why do most children of officials and revolutionaries harbor aversion and even hatred towards the revolution? How can we address the ongoing defamation of Khomeini? Why, after 34 years since Khomeini’s passing, do individuals within the country, including seminarians and academics, continue to blame him for minor inefficiencies?”
These questions serve as the central focus of a recent interview on the Iran regime’s state-run website Jamaran with Mehdi Kalhor, a media consultant who has worked with several previous governments. Although these interview questions have been crafted to align with the regime’s narrative, they still underscore a growing sentiment of illegitimacy surrounding the regime’s founder, even within the ruling class.
Iran’s Non-Oil Exports to Japan Are “Approaching Zero”
According to the data published by the Iranian regime’s customs, non-oil exports to Japan, which had reached around $1 billion in the mid-2000s and 2010s, have plummeted to about $5 million in the first six months of this year.
The state-run “90eghtesadi” website reported that considering Iran’s non-oil exports to Japan in the previous year amounted to only $12.6 million in total, this figure is “approaching zero.”
The website reported that after the signing of the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) between Iran and the West, Iran’s exports to Japan reached $1.1 billion in 2016, and in 2017 and 2018, they amounted to $422 million and $241 million, respectively.
Stockholm, Sweden—October 7, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution
Stockholm, Sweden—October 7, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in front of the Swedish Parliament in solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Cologne, Germany—October 7, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution
Cologne, Germany—October 7, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Canada: MEK Supporters Held Rallies in Support of the Iran Revolution in Ottawa, Toronto and Vancouver—October 7, 2023
Canada—October 7, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver in solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Oslo, Norway—October 7, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iran Revolution
Oslo, Norway—October 7, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 9, 2023