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UPDATE: 9:30 PM CET
Bipartisan Letter from 98 US Congress Members: Block $6 Billion Released for the Iranian Regime
Ninety-eight representatives from both the Republican and Democratic parties in the US Congress have collectively penned a letter to the President of the United States, urging the re-blocking of $6 billion funds that were recently released for the authoritarian regime in Iran.
This bipartisan message, publicized by Mike Gallagher, a member of Congress’s Armed Services Committee, cites recent revelations about the Revolutionary Guard’s participation in formulating and issuing a critical ‘final command’ for war, emphasizing the need for an immediate response.
In their joint letter, these members of Congress highlighted key requests, including the re-blocking of $6 billion linked to hostage deals, preventing the disbursement of $10 billion meant for the regime in return for electricity sales to Iraq, calling for comprehensive sanctions on the regime’s oil exports to China, and restraining the regime from accessing special drawing rights from the International Monetary Fund, which provide quick access to $6.7 billion.
US Senators Call on Biden to Hold Iranian Regime Accountable for Nuclear Non-compliance
Fifteen American Senators have collectively written a letter to the US Secretary of State, initiated by Senator Marco Rubio, urging to hold the clerical dictatorship to account for its continued violations of nuclear commitments.
The US Senators wrote, “The Iranian regime is intent on fomenting terror across the region, as evidenced by its proxies, Hamas and Hezbollah’s brutal attacks this weekend on our ally, Israel. Now, more than ever, you must ensure that you hold the regime accountable for its failure to comply with obligations under the Nuclear Non-Profileration Treaty (NPT). Further, we were disappointed that the administration did not call for a formal censure of Tehran given its continued non-compliance with the IAEA.”
The US Senators demanded:
- An explanation as to why the State Department did not seek a censure of Iran during the September 11-15, 2023 Board of Governors meeting and the extent to which this decision was due to ongoing nuclear negotiations;
- All documents related to the United States’ decision to oppose a censure of Iran at the September 11-15, 2023 Board of Governors meeting;
- A determination as to whether Iran is in compliance with the NPT;
- If the State Department finds that Iran is in compliance with the NPT, an explanation of how Iran is in compliance with the treaty given the IAEA’s findings of safeguards violations at two sites involving undeclared nuclear material and activities;
- An explanation of what the State Department plans to do about Iran’s failure to cooperate with the IAEA regarding the two outstanding sites of concern, which amounts to violations of Tehran’s legal obligation to cooperate with the agency; and
- Whether the State Department will provide financial incentives or concessions for Iran while Tehran fails to comply with the IAEA’s requests.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM CET
IMF Report Reveals Iran’s Government Debt to Reach 30.6% of GDP in 2023
In its recent report on the economic situation of the Middle East and Central Asia, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that the government debt in Iran, under Ebrahim Raisi, will reach about 30.6 percent of the country’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year. According to the IMF’s assessment, Iran’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for this year is projected to be around 366.4 billion dollars. Consequently, the government’s debt will surpass 112 billion dollars, which is more than three years of the government’s public budget.
The report also highlights that due to the significant government debt, which amounts to a colossal sum, the cash crunch in Iran, currently standing at 6.7 quadrillion tomans, will increase by approximately six billion dollars in the coming year. It remains unclear how the Raisi government plans to settle this substantial debt.
Furthermore, the IMF report indicates that cash liquidity in Iran witnessed a 31 percent growth last year, and this year it is projected to experience a 47 percent surge, pointing towards an acceleration in the printing of banknotes by the regime’s Central Bank without sufficient backing.
Regarding inflation, the statistics from this international institution show that the inflation rate in Iran was nearly 45.8 percent last year. However, it is expected to peak at 47 percent this year.
CIA Publicly Acknowledges 1953 Coup It Backed in Iran Was Undemocratic as It Revisits ‘Argo’ Rescue
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — While revealing new details about one of the most famed CIA operations of all times — the spiriting out of six American diplomats who escaped the 1979 U.S. Embassy seizure in Iran — the intelligence agency for the first time has acknowledged something else as well.
The CIA now officially describes the 1953 coup it backed in Iran that overthrew its prime minister and cemented the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi as undemocratic.
Other American officials have made similar remarks in the past, but the CIA’s acknowledgment in a podcast about the agency’s history comes as much of its official history of the coup remains classified 70 years after the putsch. That complicates the public’s understanding of an event that still resonates, as tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington over the Islamic Republic’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, its aiding of militia groups across the Mideast, and as it cracks down on dissent.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Conference in Paris on the World Day Against the Death Penalty
Why Iran’s Regime Can’t Hide Its Misogynistic Nature
On October 8, Iranian state media published a speech by regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to a group of regime officials in which Khamenei expressed his frustration with what he called “misogyny accusations” against the regime.
Khamenei said, “The accusation of misogyny by the enemy to the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic is the slander that these people have been accusing since the beginning of the revolution…. This accusation has always existed.”
This expression of discomfort is a confession to the fact that thanks to the struggles of Iranian women during all the years of the regime’s rule, and the stigma of “misogyny” “since the beginning of the revolution” has been so emblazoned on the regime that the regime is unable to conceal it and is forced to speak it and seek to deny it.
Reza Rasaei Is Sentenced to Death for Moharebeh (Waging War on God)
Reza Rasaei, a 34-year-old activist and participant in the nationwide protests of 2022, has been sentenced to execution on the charge of murdering Nader Beyrami, the head of the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards in the city of Sahneh, Kermanshah. The verdict for Mr. Rasaei was issued by the Second Branch of the Criminal Court in Kermanshah province. Reza Rasaei is a Kurdish citizen and a follower of the Yarsanism faith. Despite the lack of evidence and documentation to prove his guilt, this verdict was issued under pressure from the Iranian regime’s head of the judiciary. Throughout the entire detention period, Mr. Rasaei has been deprived of his basic rights, including access to legal representation and in-person visits.
Varisha Moradi Transferred to an Undisclosed Location in Tehran After 70 Days of Vicious Torture
Varisha Moradi, a Kurdish women’s rights activist and a member of the East Kurdistan Free Women Society (KJAR), is in dire physical condition after 70 days of detention and interrogation under torture. She was viciously tortured in the detention center of the Department of Intelligence of Sanandaj. During the past 70 days, she has not had access to her medications despite suffering from Migraine headaches. She was tortured to make confessions against herself. An informed source reported that in one instance, she vomited blood and went completely unconscious under torture. Varisha Moradi was recently transferred to one of the intelligence services’ safe houses in Tehran. She has not had any contact with her family since August 1, 2023, when she was kidnapped by agents of the Intelligence Ministry on the road from Marivan to Sanandaj. She was violently beaten and taken to jail without receiving any medical care.
Iran’s Multi-Faceted Crisis During the 44-Year Rule of the Mullahs’ Regime
The Mullahs’ regime’s four-decade rule has plunged Iranian society into a web of crises, some of which have reached catastrophic proportions. While it’s challenging to quantify the exact number of crises, experts in social economics within the regime have identified at least seven mega-crises. These encompass issues such as pensions, bank failures, insurance, water and environmental concerns, energy shortages, hyperinflation, and investment pitfalls. Occasionally, additional crises like government debts, the non-oil economy, and unemployment are added to the list, further accentuating the grim statistics.
What’s noteworthy in this context is the intricate interplay and mutual influence of these mega-crises on each other. For instance, inflation and the worsening poverty rate are intimately connected, with rising inflation pushing more families below the poverty line every day. The colossal bank bankruptcy crisis, akin to an iceberg of unknown depth and size, is directly linked to the government’s mounting debts. The government, often portrayed by the regime’s media as treating banks like inexhaustible piggy banks, is ironically the largest debtor within the Iranian banking system.
16-Year-Old Armita Geravand in Critical Conditions After Police Assault
An official news agency affiliated with the Iranian regime, in a report that was later deleted, announced that Armita Geravand‘s “vital signs” have “changed and deteriorated to some extent” in the past few days. On October 1st, the 16-year-old schoolgirl was transferred outside a Tehran subway car while unconscious, moments after entering the subway with her friends. A video released by the Tehran Subway company shows that shortly after Armita Geravand entered the subway car, she was transferred outside by several individuals while she was unconscious. However, news circulating on social media suggests that security agents pushed her because she was not wearing a hijab, resulting in her head hitting a metal bar and becoming unconscious. After the incident, she was transferred to Tehran’s Fajr Hospital, and no one is allowed to approach her.
Helsinki, Finland—Oct 10, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally on the World Day Against the Death Penalty
Brussels—October 10, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally & Exhibition on the World Day Against the Death Penalty
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 12, 2023