THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 11:00 PM
Saturday Protests in Iran
Today, students at Seyyed Khandan campus of Khaje Nasir University took to the streets to protest against repressive measures enforced by the regime’s security forces.
Contract workers from the oil sector staged a rally outside the Guardian Council building in Tehran. They expressed grievances over their contractual status, poor working conditions, and lack of job security.
February 17—Tehran, #Iran
Contract workers of the oil sector hold rally in front of the Guardian Council, protesting their contract status, poor work conditions, and lack of job security.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/JQantyPzES— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 17, 2024
Nurses in Mashhad, northeast Iran, gathered outside the governorate of Khorasan Razavi province to protest against inadequate wages, the failure to implement tariff laws, and mandatory overtime.
In Shiraz, Fars province, nurses rallied in front of the provincial governorate, demanding better wages, proper implementation of tariff laws, and an end to mandatory overtime.
February 17—Shiraz, southern #Iran
Nurses rally in front of the provincial governorate, protesting poor wages, lack of implementation of tariff laws, and forced extra work#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/wZBfHJZhDe— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 17, 2024
In Karaj, central Iran, nurses from Alborz province gathered outside the governorate, protesting against nursing tariffs.
In Qom, central Iran, nurses continued their protests at a hospital named ‘Beheshti’. Demonstrations against insufficient wages and poor working conditions persist.
In Ahvaz, southwest Iran, personnel from the third-tier organs of the National Drilling Company held a protest rally.
In Rasht, northern Iran, workers from the Zob Ahan Gilan Steel Factory gathered for a protest.
In Saravan, southeast Iran, citizens protested against high electricity bills.
These demonstrations reflect widespread discontent across various sectors in Iran, ranging from healthcare to labor rights and beyond.
UPDATE: 11:30 AM
Houthis Get Critical Support from Iran for Red Sea Attacks, US Navy Admiral Says
Iranian support has been critical for the Houthis as they bombard commercial ships in the Red Sea, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a recent “60 Minutes” interview.
The Houthis, a Shia militia from Yemen, have targeted at least 45 ships in recent months, disrupting crucial international shipping corridors, even as the U.S. Navy has moved into the Red Sea to push back against the group. They’re being aided by members of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guard Corps, Cooper said.
“The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps is inside Yemen, and they are serving side by side with the Houthis, advising them and providing target information,” Cooper said.
EU Policy on Iran — a Legacy of Failure
When Assadollah Assadi, the Iranian ‘diplomat’ jailed for 20 years in Belgium for a terrorist bomb plot, was released in a farcical deal with the Iranian regime and returned to a hero’s welcome in Tehran, many thought the EU’s appeasement policy had reached rock bottom. Warnings were sounded that the release of Assadi would embolden the mullahs to attempt a further bomb attack or assassination attempt on European soil. The warnings were ignored and sure enough, in November 2023, a hitman financed by the Iranian regime attempted to assassinate Alejo Vidal Qudras, a former senior vice president of the European Parliament. Mr. Vidal Qudras was shot in the face, in broad daylight, outside his home in Madrid. He miraculously survived.
UPDATE: 8:00 AM
Demonstration by Iranian Opposition Activists at the Security Conference
During the security conference in Munich, Iranian government critics raised alarms about a surge in executions. Approximately 250 supporters of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) gathered on Friday morning near the conference venue in downtown Munich to urge the United Nations and conference participants to take more decisive action against the Tehran government.
The demonstrators highlighted the deteriorating situation in Iran, emphasizing that at least 83 individuals had been executed in January alone. Since the outbreak of conflict in Israel, the number of executions has reached 400. “The international community must urgently implement effective measures to halt the ongoing wave of executions in Iran,” emphasized the demonstrators.
Iranian Opposition Activists Demonstrate at Security Conference
Critics of the Iranian government have warned of a wave of executions in Munich on the sidelines of the security conference. Around 250 supporters of the so-called National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) called on the United Nations and the participants of the security conference to take more consistent action against the state leadership in Tehran at their protest rally not far from the conference in Munich’s city center.
The protesters pointed to the escalating situation in Iran for months, saying that at least 83 people had been executed in January alone. Since the outbreak of the war in Israel, there have been as many as 400 executions. “The international community must urgently take effective measures to stop the ongoing wave of executions in Iran,” said the participants of the demonstration.
Specifically, they called for the inclusion of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the EU terror list, the reactivation of United Nations sanctions resolutions against the Iranian nuclear project, and the classification of the Iranian government as a threat to world peace. Furthermore, the struggle of the Iranian people against the state leadership must be internationally recognized.
Inside the Pro-Regime Rallies on the Anniversary of Iran’s 1979 Revolution
Iran’s regime goes to great lengths to twist the truth and present a false image of itself. And it spends huge amounts on propaganda efforts to create an illusion of popular support for the despotic rule of the mullahs. Meanwhile, even the regime’s own officials and insiders are warning about the threat of popular uprisings and widespread boycotts in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
These days, different social strata in Iranian cities are demanding basic living standards from the regime. A common slogan that is being repeated in protests is, “We haven’t seen justice, only lies.”
For forty-five years, “only lies” have been used to preserve the regime’s hold on power.
X Social Network’s Role in Combating Iranian State Media Influence: Ensuring Compliance with Sanctions and Mitigating Propaganda
Recent actions by X social network have brought attention to the activities of Iranian state media outlets and their affiliates. The platform’s decision to remove blue and gold symbols from accounts associated with the Iranian regime, including Press TV and Tasnim, has sparked discussions about Iran’s influence operations and the role of online platforms in regulating content from sanctioned entities. The move by X comes amidst escalating tensions between Iran and the United States, with the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) imposing sanctions on Press TV, Tasnim, and other Iranian media outlets last year. These sanctions were levied in response to Iran’s alleged violations of international sanctions and human rights abuses.
The 4-Year Prison Sentence for Sepideh Rashno Implemented for Opposing the Mandatory Hijab
Sepideh Rashno, a student activist, writer, and poet known for her opposition to the mandatory hijab, took to her Instagram page on Thursday, February 15, 2024, to announce that the sentence of three years and eleven months of imprisonment has been enforced against her. She revealed that she must report to the Implementation of the Verdicts Office at Evin Prison in the coming days.
Furthermore, Rashno disclosed that she was immediately banned from leaving the country upon the case reaching the Implementation of the Verdicts Office.
In July 2022, Sepideh Rashno was arrested and coerced into confessing on state television after she protested the mandatory hijab and resisted the interference of a woman named Rayeheh Rabiei, who confronted her about her attire on a bus. Before this incident, Rashno had a history of arrests and convictions stemming from her activities.
Hajar Atabaki Was Hanged in the Central Prison of Qazvin
On the morning of January 20, 2024, the clerical regime hanged a woman, Hajar Atabaki, in the Central Prison of Qazvin. Hajar Atabaki was 41 years old from Tabriz. She was the only guardian of her child.
Hajar Atabaki was arrested two and a half years ago on drug-related charges and sentenced to death. The clerical regime executed her in silence without any media reporting. Hajar Atabaki is the second woman reported to be executed in Iran in 2024. The clerical regime executed at least 26 women in 2023, and 231 women since 2007.
The Iranian regime is the world’s top record holder of executions of women. No government in the world has executed so many women. The list does not account for the tens of thousands of women executed in Iran on political grounds.
Population Growth in Iran Near Zero Due to Poor Life Quality
The state-run Donya-ye Eghtesad newspaper, in its analysis of economic conditions and their correlation with population growth and fertility rates, wrote that the decline in the quality of life has brought Iran to the bottom of the global table, with the population growth reaching six-tenths of a percent. Donya-ye Eghtesad, on February 15, reported that the population growth rate in Iran in 2022 reached 0.6%, and the fertility rate also reached 1.66 units.
The newspaper emphasized that the fertility rate was over 6.4% in 2016, and the average annual population growth between 1976 and 1986 was 3.91%.
Munich, Feb 16, 2024: Iranians, MEK Supporters Rally at Security Conference, Demanding Firm Policy Towards Iran’s Regime, IRGC Terrorist Designation
Munich, Germany—Feb 16, 2024: During the Munich Security Conference, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in front of the conference venue, calling for the adoption of a decisive policy against the Iranian regime as the main source of war and crisis in the Middle East.
