THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM CET
Pentagon Says It Will Hold Iran Responsible for Attacks on U.S. Troops
The Defense Department ratcheted up its rhetoric against Iran on Monday, saying it will hold Tehran ultimately responsible for a spate of recent drone and rocket attacks on American troops in the Middle East. While the Pentagon does not have information that the government of Iran “explicitly ordered” the attacks on U.S. forces in the past week, the groups responsible for the incidents are backed by Tehran, DOD spokesperson Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder told reporters on Monday.
A number of U.S. troops were injured during the attacks, which spanned several days and bases in Iraq and Syria, and an American contractor died of a cardiac episode while running from a false alarm at al Asad air base in Iraq.
“By virtue of the fact that they are supported by Iran, we will ultimately hold Iran responsible,” Ryder said.
UPDATE: 6:30 PM CET
Sen. Ted Cruz Issues Chilling Warning on Biden-Appointed ‘Iranian Spies’ Working in the US Government
SEN. TED CRUZ: Well, and what you just mentioned with Rob Malley remains one of the greatest national security scandals in our nation’s history. So, Rob Malley was Joe Biden’s chief negotiator for Iran. He’s an incredible Iran sympathizer. He is an advocate, a passionate advocate for the disastrous Obama-Iran nuclear deal. But he also has extraordinarily bad judgment. He’s been fired. He’s had his security clearances stripped, which I want you to pause and think, just how bad does his conduct have to be to have his security clearances pulled by this ideological and radical White House?
UPDATE: 1:30 PM CET
Monday Protests in Iran
Today, October 23, a group of retired telecommunications workers from various cities, including Ahvaz, Rasht, Isfahan, Ilam, Ardabil, Zahedan, Arak, Urmia, Tehran, and more, came together to protest the authorities’ inaction and refusal to address their demands. These demands include the full implementation of the 2010 personnel and employment regulations and addressing issues related to healthcare insurance.
In addition, numerous healthcare professionals specializing in addiction treatment from different provinces organized a protest in Tehran today.
More footage of today's protest rally by the retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran in Tehran.
"What happened to this high-revenue company!" protesters chant.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/ntTo4GpZNk— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 23, 2023
October 23—#Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran in Ilam, Arak, Urmia, and Rasht resume their protests in front of the provincial offices of TCI.
The protesters are demanding that the regime implements a law that was passed in 2010 and requires the government to… pic.twitter.com/fmYRUPHEFv— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 23, 2023
US Takes Steps to Respond Decisively to Escalation, Blinken Says
On October 22, in an interview with NBC News, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned the clerical regime in Iran against any further escalation in the new Middle East crisis.
In response to the question of whether the Biden administration should be concerned about an escalation of tensions by the Iranian regime in light of recent attacks on American facilities in the region, Blinken stated, “We expect that there’s a likelihood of escalation – escalation by Iranian proxies directed against our forces, directed against our personnel. We are taking steps to make sure that we can effectively defend our people and respond decisively if we need to.”
US Tells Sunak to Ban Iran’s Terrorist Forces
The US is calling on Britain to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorists in the wake of Tehran’s “complicity” in Hamas’s massacre of 1,400 people in Israel. Joe Biden’s administration is publicly urging its allies to “designate the IRGC as a terrorist organisation” over the Iranian state security body’s link to terror across the globe. A Whitehall source said some senior US officials had been privately encouraging their UK counterparts to proscribe the body, which has been banned in the US since 2019.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
How Iran’s Regime Is Destroying the Country for Its Survival
These days, Iran’s state-run media are filled with the warmongering propaganda of regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei and the senior authorities, as well as the commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Particularly, Khamenei-affiliated media outlets have extensively written about the regime’s regional influence. Khamenei tries to create the impression that his regime has fulfilled its ambitions for expanding its strategic depth. However, other factions within the regime warn that not only Khamenei has not achieved his strategic goals in the region, on the contrary, he has severely weakened Iran’s geopolitical advantages over the years. For instance, on October 14, the state-run Ham-Mihan newspaper wrote, “We have passed the stage of geopolitical erosion and entered the stage of geopolitical crisis; a crisis that targets the territorial integrity of Iran.”
Rebellious Youths Target Command Headquarters of 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 Wali Asr, house not only the command headquarters of the Revolutionary Guards, named after Mohammad Rasulollah, 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.
Made in Iran: The Decline of a Global Brand and Its Economic Impact
The primary financial resources fueling the rule of religious fascism in Iran are generated through the sale of Iranian funds, assets, resources, and products at meager prices to a limited set of markets that procure them at the lowest possible cost.
When a nation’s wealth and resources are in the clutches of criminal thieves, there is little room for any rightful calculation. Nevertheless, by examining the government’s official statistics, we can begin to discern the extent of systematic theft and plunder perpetrated by the ruling regime.
For several decades, Iranian products and commodities have been sold at remarkably low prices to intermediaries associated with the regime. Domestic media reports occasionally shed light on these transactions.
Two Journalists Are Sentenced to 25 Years for Reporting the Truth on Mahsa Amini’s Death
The two journalists who had reported on Mahsa Amini’s death and burial ceremony have been sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi have been imprisoned for more than one year for reporting the truth. They spent some months in the notorious Qarchak Prison and were relocated to Evin Prison on May 1, 2023.
The 15th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran sentenced Niloufar Hamedi to 13 years and Elaheh Mohammadi to 12 years in jail. The notorious judge Salavati issued the verdicts.
Iran: 26,000 Girls Under 15 Married in the Past Year
According to a report by the Statistical Center of Iran, 25,900 child girls have married from last winter until now. Based on this report, over 1,300 infants have been born to mothers under the age of 15, which is higher than the previous year’s statistics.
Hammihan Newspaper, citing the report of the Statistical Center on October 19, reported that over 200 girls under the age of 15 have registered for divorce in the past winter.
Previously, the state-run Etemad newspaper reported in May that at least 27,000 children under the age of 15 had married in one year, citing data from the Statistical Center of Iran. According to the data, 27,448 cases of girls under the age of 15 getting married were registered in various parts of Iran from winter 2021 to autumn 2022.
Cologne, Germany—October 21, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Support of the Iranian Revolution
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 22, 2023