THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 22:30 PM CET
The Attack of Rebellious Youths on the Command Headquarters of the Tehran Protection Corps
The rebellious youth attacked the headquarters of the Greater Tehran Protection Corps in Ishratabad, located in the heart of Tehran, leading to heavy explosions in the area.
The barracks, known as Vali Asr, houses not only the command headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, named after Mohammad Rasulullah but also several other IRGC commanders. These include the operational command of the northeastern areas of Tehran, known as the Nasr camp, the Basij organization of the Revolutionary Guards, the Basij district command of the 7th district of Tehran (Motahari), the Fatehin Basij Airborne Battalion, and the security unit known as Sahib al-Zaman.
In critical conditions and during social upheavals, all the military and security forces of northeast Tehran fall under the command of the Nasr operational command. The Sahib Al-Zaman security unit is responsible for nine Imam Ali Suppression Battalions and two IRGC Rangers Battalions.
The primary mission of the Greater Tehran Protection Corps is to manage social unrest and uprisings, suppress protests and demonstrations, apprehend and detain demonstrators, and interrogate and torture those arrested in solitary confinement cells.
UPDATE: 6:00 PM CET
Top Iranian Pentagon Aide Keeps Security Clearance Despite ‘Spying for Tehran’ Accusation
An Iranian-born Pentagon official is to keep her top-level security clearance despite being named as part of a covert influence campaign run by Tehran — and being called a “spy” by Republicans.
Ariane Tabatabai appeared to be a willing recruit in the covert influence operation run by Tehran’s Foreign Ministry, according to a trove of leaked files revealed last month by Semafor.
She was previously a key aide to the suspended Iran envoy Robert Malley, whose secret ties to Tehran sparked congressional uproar.
Since early 2022, Tabatabai has been chief of staff to the Pentagon’s assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict, Christopher P. Maier.
New GOP Bill Would Make Biden Impose Maximum Sanctions on Iran
A House Republican wants to leverage congressional action to make the Biden administration enforce U.S. sanctions on Iran following the devastating terror attacks by Hamas in Israel.
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said that the Biden administration, over the past year, has waived sanctions on Iran which facilitated roughly $50 billion to the country.
The administration, he said, “has systematically underenforced oil sanctions, freed Iranian funds in Iraq, which are now in Oman,” and notoriously waived sanctions on Sept. 11, to release $6 billion in humanitarian funds as part of a prisoner swap – a move that was heavily scrutinized following the Hamas attacks.
Saturday Protests in Iran
On Saturday, October 21, 2023, contract oil workers in Khuzestan Province staged another protest to demand their rights. They are calling for the full implementation of a resolution passed by the Administrative and Employment Council of the oil industry in December 2021.
Simultaneously, employees and retirees of Bank Saderat, situated on Somayeh Street in Sepehr Tower, as well as employees and retirees of Bank Melli, held a protest in Iran’s capital. They gathered to voice their frustration regarding deductions from their wages, purportedly for the bank’s investment purposes. The protesters chanted slogans, including “Promises are insufficient; our tables remain empty.”
October 21—Tehran, #Iran
The retirees of the state-run Saderat Bank hold protest rally, demanding higher pensions and other basic needs as the costs of living continue to rise.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/1WAZRLKmW0— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 21, 2023
October 21—Khuzestan, southwest #Iran
Contract workers of the oil industry resume protest rallies as regime officials continue to ignore their demands for higher pensions and basic needs.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/MnaEegjQSq— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 21, 2023
UPDATE: 12:00 PM CET
Protests in Zahedan Despite Crackdown by Regime Security Forces
The brave Baluch people of Zahedan held protest rallies today and chanted slogans against the Iranian regime and its leader, Ali Khamenei, despite extreme measures to prevent any kind of protests and rallies.
In the morning, the regime had dispatched a large contingent of security forces, including anti-riot forces, to block roads leading to the Makki mosque, where people gather every week for Friday prayers.
Security forces attacked worshippers, beating them, using pepper spray and tear gas, throwing objects. Many were injured during the attacks, including children.
The Destructive Impact of the Growing Wealth Gap in Iran
According to the annual household income and expenditure data published by Iran’s Statistics Center, inflation rates from 2018 to 2022 have led to higher spending. In 2022, the wealthiest segment of the population spent over 71 million tomans on food, while the poorest decile allocated only 13.85 million tomans.
State-run media outlet Setareh-e Sobh discusses the economic situation and the growing wealth gap among people, stating, ‘Insufficient nutrition and housing shortages result in social and health issues, highlighting the alarming disparity between poverty and affluence in our country.’
The government’s statistics center has released a report indicating a crisis that has put urban families under tremendous pressure. Due to inflation in 2021, people reduced consumption of chicken and red meat, resorting to eggs as an alternative.
Iran: 26,000 Marriages of Children Under 15 Violate Human Rights, Considered Violence Against Women
The Iranian National Statistics Center (NSC) announced that 25,900 girls and 15 boys under 15 years of age got married in Iran during the Persian year 1401 (from March 2022 to March 2023).
The semi-official daily, Hammihan reported on October 19, 2023, that during the same period, 1,392 infants were born from mothers under 15 years old, and six from fathers under 15 years.
This data is 64,632 for mothers and 3,282 for fathers in the 15-19 years range.
Youth Account For 70% Of Unemployed Population In Iran
A report from the Iranian Statistical Center shows that over 70 percent of the country’s unemployed population falls within the age group of 18 to 35 years old.
According to the Eco Iran website, the active population in the summer of 2023 reached approximately 26.8 million people. The analysis indicates that during this summer, 2.115 million individuals were unsuccessful in finding employment and were considered unemployed.
This economic website, based on available statistics, states that in the summer of 2022, there were 1.643 million unemployed individuals aged 18 to 35 in the Iranian job market.
Meanwhile, a review of official statistics shows that the unemployment rate for women is 9 percentage points higher than that of men.
Copenhagen—October 19, 2023: MEK supporters held a rally in solidarity with the Iran Revolution
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 20, 2023
