THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 7:30 PM CET
Wicker, Colleagues Demand Accountability on Iran-Linked DOD Official
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, today led a letter signed by 30 of his Senate Republican colleagues demanding a full accounting of actions taken by a senior Pentagon official who has close links to the Iranian government.
Ariane Tabatabai, the chief of staff to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict, was reportedly engaged in an Iranian government-linked initiative to bolster the Iranian government’s image and reinforce Tehran’s national security views. Leaked emails show Tabatabai asking the Iranian government for input on her speaking engagements and offering to consult with the Iranian government on a congressional briefing that she was invited to give.
In the letter, the senators suggested that it is “unconscionable” for Tabatabai to continue holding a sensitive national defense-related position and called for the immediate suspension of her security clearance.
UPDATE: 2:00 PM CET
Death Sentence Sparks Uprising and Unrest Erupts in Ramhormoz Prison, Iran
Iranian state media reported on the uprising and unrest in Ramhormoz Prison in Khuzestan province following the issuance of a death sentence for a prisoner on September 29.
According to Mehr News Agency, “Following the death sentence for a prisoner in Ramhormoz Prison, several inmates revolted by setting a fire. Gunshots were also heard from outside the prison.”
Following this report, the Public Relations of the Khuzestan Prisons Department stated in a release, “Due to the clash among the prisoners in one of the blocks of Ramhormoz Prison, the situation in this county’s prison became turbulent for a short period.”
In this statement, it was added, “Prison authorities immediately intervened to end the clash, and now the situation in Ramhormoz Prison is back to normal.”
UPDATE: 11:30 AM CET
Hagerty, Hern, Wilson Seek Answers From the White House on Sensitive Documents Leaked to Tehran Times
WASHINGTON—United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Representatives Kevin Hern (R-OK-01), Chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), and Joe Wilson (R-SC-02), Chairman of the RSC National Security Task Force, yesterday sent a letter to President Joe Biden following publication of sensitive documents in the Iranian regime-controlled Tehran Times.
“It is shocking that the Tehran Times, a propaganda arm of Iran’s terror-sponsoring regime, somehow obtained sensitive internal State Department documents about the suspension of Special Envoy Rob Malley’s security clearance,” said Senator Hagerty. “The Biden Administration must explain how this happened, especially after recent news reports about how current Administration officials and those close to them were directly involved in the so-called ‘Iran Experts Initiative,’ an Iranian regime-run foreign influence network that operated in the United States and around the world.”
Hold Iran Accountable for Expelling Nuclear Inspectors
The Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear provocations continue to mount. The clerical regime on Sept. 16 barred one-third of all International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from the country’s nuclear facilities. The organization’s director general, Rafael Grossi, said in a statement that Tehran’s move is “disproportionate and unprecedented” and “affects in a direct and severe way the ability of the IAEA to conduct effectively its inspections in Iran.”
World powers must rectify their feckless approach and hold Tehran accountable for its nuclear misconduct. They must censure Iran at the next IAEA Board of Governors meeting on Oct. 2, and provide a deadline for Tehran to reinstate the inspectors. If the regime fails to comply, the West should enact the snapback of UN sanctions on Iran.
US Identifies Iran, North Korea as ‘Persistent Threats’ in WMD Strategy
The US Defense Ministry described Iran and North Korea as “persistent threats” in its Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction released on Thursday.
“North Korea, Iran, and violent extremist organizations remain persistent threats as they continue to further pursue and develop WMD (weapons of mass destruction),” the Pentagon said in the document.
Also, Russia has been seen as an “acute threat,” and China has remained a “pacing challenge” in the new strategy report.
“The PRC (People’s Republic of China) has expanded and modernized nearly every aspect of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), with a focus on offsetting US military advantages,” said the report.
Furthermore, it added that China has posed the “most comprehensive and urgent challenge” to the US.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM CET
Conference in Berlin “Iran, One Year After the Popular Uprising”
On Thursday, September 28, 2023, a conference entitled “Iran: One Year after the Popular Uprising” was held in Berlin. The conference featured several members of the Federal and State parliaments. At the beginning of this conference, Maryam Rajavi addressed the participants in a video message in which she said: “I sincerely thank you for your support of the Iranian people’s resistance and uprising for a democratic Iran. We recently marked the anniversary of the 2022 uprising in Iran. In the past year, Khamenei used all the regime’s military, intelligence, and political resources in an attempt to control the society, but he failed. The society continues to resist the regime, and any small incident could trigger another nationwide uprising. The regime was unable to stop the relentless actions of the Resistance Units. During the brief anniversary period of the uprising, these units conducted 400 anti-repression operations. In addition, the regime could not reduce its fundamental instability.”
Baluch People Mark the Anniversary of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday With Anti-Regime Rallies
On the first anniversary of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday massacre, Baluch people in several cities across Sistan and Baluchestan province held anti-regime protest rallies. These rallies took place despite extensive security measures by the regime and heavy security presence in cities, especially on Zahedan. The regime had dispatched anti-riot forces and heavy weapons to prevent any kind of protest.
Unveiling Iran’s Repressive Dress Code Against Young Women and Schoolgirls
In the heart of the Middle East, a nation grapples with a dichotomy that has long captured international attention. Iran, a country known for its rich history and vibrant culture, has also become synonymous with a stringent dress code imposed by the brutal misogynist mullahs’ regime that has weighed heavily on the lives of its young female population. For decades, Iranian women, particularly schoolgirls, and young adults have navigated a complex labyrinth of sartorial regulations, confronting a stark choice between personal expression and state-mandated conformity.
In the wake of the widespread nationwide protests in 2022, notably led by brave women and girls, the Iranian regime has intensified its efforts to enforce stricter dress code regulations. These measures have sent shockwaves through the country, particularly impacting young women and schoolgirls.
Manuscripts of Javad Rouhi, Details of Brutal Torture for Forced Confessions
Javad Roohi’s handwritten notes reveal that he endured the most severe torture while in prison.
Javad Roohi was a protester arrested during the 2022 protests in Nowshahr. He had been sentenced to three executions but was recently murdered in Nowshahr prison. His published manuscripts show that he endured severe beatings and torture, so much that the wound on his back, the scar of a previous lower back surgery had reopened. Atena Daemi, a civil activist residing in Iran, has published some of these handwritten notes by Javad Roohi. Javad Roohi, a 35-year-old resident of Amol and a law graduate, had traveled to Nowshahr three days prior to his arrest to visit his ex-wife. He was arrested by security forces in Nowshahr on September 21, 2022, during the nationwide protests.
Iran: 17 Steel Workers Sentenced to Flogging and Prison
Seventeen workers of Iran National Steel Industrial Group have been sentenced to flogging and imprisonment by the judicial system of the Iranian regime due to their protests against economic conditions. According to the state-run ILNA news agency on September 27, the revolutionary court in Ahvaz issued these sentences based on a report from the State Security Forces and a complaint filed by “Shafagh Rahian Axin Industrial and Commercial Company S.R.O.,” the employer of Iran’s Steel Company, and the company’s security. ILNA published the names of these protesting workers and stated that they were charged with “disturbing public order through creating turmoil and commotion” during last year’s protests.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – September 29, 2023