THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET
Wary of Public Backlash, Regime Struggles to Control Narratives on Armita Geravand’s Conditions
To prevent information leaks regarding the reason for Armita Geravand’s unconsciousness, the clerical regime has blocked access to the Fajr Hospital website. According to state media, the links to different sections of the hospital and information about the hospital are no longer accessible.
At the same time, the Tehran municipality rounded up the so-called morality police, who had been suppressing and harassing women under the guise of enforcing hijab rules, from metro stations. The state-run Dideban Iran reported today, “It’s still unclear whether the sudden disappearance of these agents from the metro is linked to the incident involving Armita Geravand or if there’s been a change in the municipality’s policy regarding this matter.”
While the regime has published reports from Armita’s parents and friends to ensure everything is fine, her mother has denied having had any updates on her condition and Armita’s father told the state-run Faraz Daily today, “We truly don’t have much information about Armita’s condition. We are not at the hospital. I am at work. It’s been a few days since I heard any news about Armita. As far as I know, she is in a coma, and that’s all I know.”
Hours after this interview, which was contrary to his interview with the official news agency, the editor-in-chief of the Faraz Daily, claimed in a tweet: “Contrary to the news attributed to Armita Geravand’s father that was published, a major mistake occurred leading to incorrect information. This news has been refuted and deleted.”
At the time of this reporting, the Faraz Daily report was made unavailable for public access.
On Wednesday, October 4, news on social media suggested that Armita’s family and friends, who were with her during her unconsciousness, were detained by authorities for hours to prevent them from publishing any information. Additionally, security forces attended Orwatol Wosgha High School and asked Armita’s friends not to provide any information about her.
Meanwhile, the regime’s official news agency and IRGC-affiliated media released interviews with Armita’s classmates. Furthermore, documentaries were aired on state television and other state-controlled media outlets to confirm the narrative about Armita’s blood pressure dropping.
In response to the widespread publication of news regarding Armita Geravand’s assault, which has become a major public concern, the IRGC-run Fars news agency stated, “There have been misconceptions that suggest people confronted Armita because of her marveling inside the subway car and pushed her. Though Mahla, Armita’s classmate and friend who was with her on the day of the incident, said that no one confronted us, and no one pushed Armita.”
UPDATE: 2:00 PM CET
Seized and Forfeited Lethal Aid Materiels
TAMPA, Fla. – On Oct. 2, 2023, the U.S. government transferred approximately 1.1 million 7.62mm rounds to the Ukrainian armed forces. The government obtained ownership of these munitions on July 20, 2023, through the Department of Justice’s civil forfeiture claims against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). These munitions were originally seized by U.S. Central Command naval forces from the transiting stateless dhow MARWAN 1, Dec. 9, 2022. The munitions were being transferred from the IRGC to the Houthis in Yemen in violation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2216. The U.S. is committed to working with our allies and partners to counter the flow of Iranian lethal aid in the region by all lawful means including U.S. and U.N. sanctions and through interdictions.
Increased US Forces in the Middle East Have Deterred Iran Attacks on Ships in the Persian Gulf, Air Force General Says
WASHINGTON – Moving more U.S. ships and aircraft into the Middle East region has deterred Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the Persian Gulf, the commander of the U.S. Air Forces Central Command said Wednesday. The U.S. in July ramped up forces in the region after Iran harassed ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway. The Pentagon deployed a portion of the Bataan Amphibious Readiness Group with a Marine expeditionary unit.
This followed another Pentagon announcement that the USS Thomas Hudner, a new Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and fighter jets, including F-35s and F-16s, were deploying to the region near the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman to defend the U.S. interests.
Iran’s Captive Minds
In June 2014, Dina Esfandiary and Ariane Tabatabai wrote an article in The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, making the case that Iran had “genuine and reasonable concerns” about its nuclear fuel supplies and that it would need many more centrifuges to become energy-independent. There had to be “a mechanism to guarantee Iranian supply,” they wrote, a position plainly sympathetic to Tehran’s interests. The Bulletin identified Esfandiary as a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School and Tabatabai as a political scientist at the RAND Corporation. What it did not say was that both women belonged to the Iran Experts Initiative. According to blockbuster reporting in Semafor and Iran International, it was a high-level informal influence operation, involving a handful of scholars of Iranian descent, that was conceived and manipulated by the Iranian regime.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Iran: Teen Girl in Critical Conditions After Assault by Regime Morality Police
The Iranian regime’s morality police have assaulted a 16-year-old girl for not abiding by the regime’s misogynistic hijab rules, according to reports from inside Iran.
Armita Geravand, who hails from Kermanshah, was attacked by the morality police in Tehran on Sunday and is now in a state of coma in the Fajr hospital. She is being kept under strict security conditions and regime authorities have banned all visits, including from her family.
There is currently a heavy presence of security forces at the Fajr Hospital, which is controlled by the regime’s air force.
Political Prisoner Hashem Khastar Writes About Pressure in Iran’s Dungeons
In his letter, Khastar writes that in the past five years that he has been in prison, “a series of crises have unfolded, each with the potential to entangle the fate of the Islamic Republic.”
These crises are the results of the deception that regime founder Ruhollah Khomeini had caused, which he used to establish his authoritarian rule after the 1979 revolution, Khastar writes.
Sistan’s Battle Against Microdust and Environmental Degradation
The representative of Iran’s regime for the Sistan region has expressed concern: “Sistan is experiencing depopulation and being buried under layers of sand. Why has there been no meeting to address the issue of micro dust in Sistan?”
Not too long ago, Sistan was renowned as Iran’s granary. Its temperate climate attracted migratory birds in large numbers every year. In addition to species like owls, crested ducks, hubra, tiho, and eagles, the region was home to various other indigenous birds of Hamoun, their lives intertwined with the plains and wetlands of Hamoun.
The challenges created by the regime for the people of this region and its environment, coupled with Afghanistan’s Taliban neglecting to utilize the full capacity of the Hirmand River, amounting to 820 million cubic meters annually, have transformed what were once blessings from the heavens—gentle breezes, bountiful agriculture, and the happiness of its people—into winds that now gradually bury the Sistan region under layers of soil. This, in some way, foreshadows the destiny of yet another forsaken city near the Uhad Strait.
Canada—September 30, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Commemoration of the Martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal
Canada—September 30, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal in commemoration of the martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday. They also expressed solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Atlanta, USA—September 30, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Commemoration of the Martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday
Atlanta, USA—September 30, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in commemoration of the martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday. They also expressed solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Oslo, Norway—September 30, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally in Commemoration of the Martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday
Oslo, Norway—September 30, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in commemoration of the martyrs of Zahedan Bloody Friday. They also expressed solidarity with the Iran Revolution.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – October 4, 2023