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UPDATE: 8:30 PM CET
UN Nuclear Watchdog Says ‘No Progress’ Has Been Made in Monitoring Iranian Nuclear Program: Report
A confidential International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) report assessed that international efforts to monitor Iran’s nuclear program have made “no progress” despite promises from Tehran.
IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi requested that Iran “work with the agency in earnest and in a sustained way towards the fulfillment of the commitments,” the agency said in the unreleased report, according to AFP. The report comes as Iran has still not followed through on a March promise to reactivate surveillance devices it deactivated last year, while a separate unreleased IAEA report showed the country’s stockpile of enriched uranium was more than 18 times the limit set during the nuclear deal (JCPOA) reached between Tehran and world powers in 2015.
UPDATE: 2:30 PM CET
Tuesday Protests in Iran
Today, September 5, retirees and other pensioners from various cities including Ahvaz, Yazd, Pol Dokhtar, Sanandaj, Kermanshah, Tabriz, and Hamadan gathered in protest in front of the National Pension Fund building. They assembled in response to the deteriorating economic conditions and the unfulfilled demands, joining the wave of protests that occur every Tuesday.
September 5—Kermanshah, western #Iran
Retired government workers hold protest rally, demanding higher pensions and other basic rights.
According to the regime's own laws, the government must adjust pensions according to inflation and costs of living. But authorities refrain from… pic.twitter.com/bfEFc52CWB— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 5, 2023
September 5—Yazd, central #Iran
Retired government workers hold protest rally, demanding higher pensions and other basic rights.
"Pension adjustment is our undeniable right!" the protesters are chanting.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/ceKoA3Ks7v— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 5, 2023
One Out of Every Three Iranians Lives in Absolute Poverty, Insider Admits
A state-affiliated economic analyst, Farshad Momeni, criticized the systematic manipulation of real economic statistics within Ebrahim Raisi’s government, noting, “How repugnant it is, and to what extent must one have fallen in every aspect, with all these exaggerations and empty promises, try to downplay the current situation in Iran. We are experiencing a situation where, according to official data, approximately one out of every three Iranians is in absolute poverty!”
Momeni added, “It seems like there has been a competition to present manipulated data at the level of some officials in the country. There is a competition in baseless rhetoric in this regard. One person says, ‘I order that absolute poverty be reduced in 14 days,’ another says, ‘Done!’ and takes the claim even further. Unfortunately, in this field, some segments of the power structure are stealing the show from each other in making baseless statements.”
He lamented, “Unfortunately, the promises made under the pretense of addressing poverty, generating employment, and similar matters represent some of the most significant errors and acts of betrayal against not only our religion, our nation, and our people but especially against the deprived and the underprivileged.” He highlighted the context by stating, “These declarations come at a time when, for the first time in Iran’s economic history over the past century, the duration for the population of impoverished individuals to double has been reduced to less than three years!”
State-affiliated Economist Admits: Iran Among 5 Countries with the Highest Inflation Rates
On September 4, a state-affiliated expert acknowledged the extremely critical economic situation within the clerical regime in an interview with Khabar Online. He stated that the pace of economic imbalances in Iran has surpassed economic development.
Vahid Shaghaghi told Khabar Online, “Dealing with inflation requires addressing the macroeconomic imbalances in Iran. Currently, our country faces numerous imbalances, some of which have a long history, while others are more recent… In the realm of inflation, the reality is that Iran is among the five countries with the highest inflation rates… For example, the rate of infrastructure depletion has outpaced investment, and the rate of economic destruction has surpassed economic construction. This is very dangerous. Unfortunately, economic imbalances in Iran are increasing day by day, such as energy imbalances, water imbalances, budget imbalances, pension fund imbalances, banking imbalances, and capital account imbalances, among others. As long as we fail to address these imbalances, inflation will not be controlled… Resolving these imbalances requires fundamental reforms in Iran’s economy, and with the current economic governance in this state, addressing these imbalances will not be feasible.”
Arson Attack on School in Germany’s Bochum: Trial Date Is Set
An arson attack on the Hildegardis School in Bochum ten months ago is said to have actually targeted the neighboring synagogue and was carried out on behalf of Iran. A 36-year-old German-Iranian will have to answer for attempted arson before the Düsseldorf Higher Regional Court starting next Tuesday, September 12. According to the indictment, the man had received orders from Iranian government agencies to carry out an arson attack on a synagogue in the Ruhr area, the court said on Monday, September 4. In addition, the man is said to have tried to recruit an acquaintance as an accomplice, in vain – he went to the police instead.
Iran’s Presence in Syria in August 2023, 11 Fatalities in Ground and Aerial Attacks
Iran and its proxy militias have unprecedented influence in most areas under the “symbolic” regime control, as neither attacks by Israel and the International Coalition, nor the “cold war” with Russia could hinder the alarming entrenchment and expansion of these forces across Syria. Strengthening their presence and promoting their ideology, the Iranians are still carrying on with their systematic plan to change the demography of different areas throughout Syria’s geography. SOHR activists documented the death of 11 Iranian-backed militiamen in ground and aerial attacks in Syria in August 2023; they are as follows:
- Four non-Syrian militiamen were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
- Three killed in a landmine explosion.
- Two non-Syrian militiamen were shot dead by unknown gunmen.
- Two individuals working for the Lebanese Hezbollah were assassinated.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM CET
Entekhab Website Taken Down for Criticizing Raisi’s Diplomacy
#Iran News in Brief
Following the publication of this critical video regarding the #foreignpolicy of Ebrahim Raisi's government, the state-run website "Entekhab" became inaccessible on September 4. pic.twitter.com/Ldu8GZEylY— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 5, 2023
As a sign of further escalation of internal conflict within the clerical regime on the eve of the 2022 uprising anniversary, on Monday evening, September 4, the state-run website Entekhab was officially taken down.
The website’s suspension was due to the release of a video titled “Auctioning Iran’s Brand: Why Has Iran’s Foreign Policy Weakened So Much?” This video addressed the alleged falsehoods and deceit within Ebrahim Raisi’s government regarding its purported foreign and regional policy achievements.
This occurred as a consequence of the Press Supervision Board’s decision, issued under the directives of Raisi’s administration. This decision resulted in the blocking of access to the Entekhab website.
How Iran’s Regime Is Profiteering From Internet Censorship
After looting every resource in the country and digging its hands deep into the people’s pockets, the Iranian regime has found a new way to make ill-gotten money by creating a market around state-imposed internet censorship. On the one hand, internet censorship traders heat up their market by blocking social networks and banning the purchase and sale of censorship circumvention tools such as virtual private networks (VPN). On the other hand, they pocket astronomical profits by selling their own VPNs. On August 18, the state-run ISNA news agency quoted a member of the Majlis (parliament) who referred to the huge income of the state-backed mafia that is profiteering from internet censorship: “What is the logic behind this decision that, in the current economic conditions, the continuation of internet policies is depositing 500 trillion rials from the people’s pockets to the accounts of internet censorship merchants.”
Nutritional Quality in Iran as a Result of Inflation
In the face of limited and practically prohibited publication of official economic statistics by the Iranian regime, the living conditions of society have been unwittingly exposed through comparisons of statements made by various regime officials in recent months. This juxtaposition confirms, on multiple occasions, the deteriorating quality of life in Iran. A report published on August 27 draws attention to the words of Ali Aghamohammadi, a member of the Board of Representatives of the Chamber of Commerce of Iran. He pointedly contrasts statements from the Director General of Social Welfare Studies at the Ministry of Labor in July of the current year with those of Majid Movafegh Qadiri from 2016. The result is a disconcerting revelation: the percentage of the population grappling with malnutrition has surged by 27% over the last seven years.
Azam Gholami Zahab Condemned to 16 Years in Jail
The 5th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad condemned Azam Gholami Zahab to 16 years and 4 months in prison. The verdict was issued on Monday, September 4, 2023, by Judge Hossein Yazdankhah. Ms. Gholami’s trial was held on August 23, 2023, but her lawyer of choice was not allowed to attend the court session. The charges leveled against Azam Gholami Zahab include “assembly and collusion to disrupt national security,” “propaganda against the state,” “arson,” and “being in contact with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.”
If the verdict is upheld, Azam Gholami Zahab will serve 10 years in prison as the maximum punishment for Moharebeh (waging war on God) through membership in the PMOI/MEK.
University Of Tehran Professors Barred from Working Due To “Ethical Problems And Complaints”
At the cusp of the reopening of universities and on the anniversary of the 2022 nationwide uprising, Iran’s regime has intensified its attacks on the university from different directions. On the one hand, the regime is dismissing “critical” professors and replacing them with aligned elements, or as one academician put it, “artificial injection of fake professors.” On the other hand, Iranian authorities have engaged in the expulsion of many students from universities and filling the vacancies with regime loyalists. In response to the wave of protests regarding the expulsion of certain critical professors, Mohammad Moghimi, the president of the University of Tehran denied any “expulsion” of professors from the university and simultaneously claimed that some professors have been prevented from working due to “ethical problems and complaints.”
Amsterdam—September 2, 2023: MEK Supporters Held a Rally in Dam Square, Celebrating the Anniversary of the Foundation of the MEK Iran
Amsterdam, The Netherlands—September 2, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in Dam Square, and celebrated the anniversary of the foundation of the PMOI/MEK.
Germany: MEK Supporters Rallied in Cologne, Dortmund, Bremen, Frankfurt, and Düsseldorf in Support of the Iran Revolution, Celebrating the Anniversary of the Foundation of the MEK Iran
Germany, August 31 – September 2, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held rallies in Cologne, Dortmund, Bremen, Frankfurt, and Düsseldorf, and celebrated the anniversary of the foundation of the PMOI/MEK.
Also, read Iran News in Brief – September 4, 2023
