THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 9:00 PM
U.S. Launches Strikes in Iraq, Syria, Nearly 40 Reported Killed
WASHINGTON/BAGHDAD, Feb 3 (Reuters) – The United States launched airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against more than 85 targets linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and militias it backs, reportedly killing nearly 40 people, in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops.
The strikes, which included the use of long-range B-1 bombers flown from the United States, were the first in response to the attack last weekend in Jordan by Iran-backed militants, and more U.S. military operations are expected in the coming days.
The strikes intensified a conflict that has spread into the region since war erupted between Israel and Hamas after the militant Palestinian group’s deadly assault on Israel on Oct.7.
More Than 100 MPs and Peers Join Call to Ban Iranian ‘Terrorist’ Group
More than 100 parliamentarians have urged Rishi Sunak to stand up to the Iranian regime’s “belligerence” by proscribing its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as terrorists, as Conservative MPs warned the Prime Minister: “We need a new strategy.”
A statement signed by scores of MPs and peers warns that, amid growing conflict in the Middle East, Tehran is “the head of the snake” and was using the IRGC to spread “terrorism” and block peace. The signatories, including about 40 Conservative MPs and peers, said they “call for the terrorist designation of the IRGC”.
Bob Blackman, the secretary of the Conservative 1922 committee, said: “Refusing to act against this imminent threat would be a grave mistake.”
Mr Blackman said the “core of this strategy” should be to “recognise the desire of the Iranian people, to overthrow the ruling theocracy and to establish a secular republic” and the right of “resistance units” affiliated to the People’s Mojahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) opposition group, “to stand up against IRGC brutality”.
Iranian Regime Thugs Disrupt Families’ Protest Over UN Official’s Visit
#Iran News in Brief
Families of #ps752 plane victims faced violent disruption as they protest @UN official's visit to Iran. Concerns mount over safety amid #IRGCterrorists threats.https://t.co/oI46tS9Fl4 pic.twitter.com/ZReJiadJQH— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 3, 2024
On Saturday, February 3, thugs loyal to the Iranian regime violently disrupted a protest gathering organized by families of victims of the PS752 passenger plane downed by the terrorist Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) in January 2020. The families had gathered to express their opposition to the upcoming visit of Nada Al-Nashif, the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, to Iran.
In their protest outside the United Nations office in Tehran, the families demanded the cancellation of Al-Nashif’s visit, fearing for her safety amid potential threats from the IRGC. They warned that her visit could further endanger the lives of hostages and prisoners facing execution in Iran.
Before the protest, family members of the PS752 victims had issued a statement urging the cancellation of Al-Nashif’s trip, expressing concerns that the IRGC might target the plane carrying her to Iran.
The violent disruption of the peaceful protest highlights the ongoing repression and intimidation tactics employed by the Iranian regime against dissenting voices and those seeking justice for victims of its actions.
UPDATE: 12:30 PM
EU, UK Must Blacklist Iran’s IRGC
US Moves To Seize More Than 500,000 Barrels of Iranian Oil It Says Was Illegally Trafficked
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced Friday that it was seizing more than 500,000 barrels of internationally sanctioned Iranian fuel that officials said was illegally trafficked to provide funding for the country’s paramilitary force.
In addition, prosecutors announced criminal charges related to the sale of crude oil to buyers in China, Russia, and Syria.
Officials described the actions, which come at a time of simmering tensions between the U.S. and Iran, as part of a broader effort to disrupt funding to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s Quds Force, an expeditionary unit believed to be working abroad in countries like Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen to back Iranian-allied militias.
GOP Lawmakers Say Strikes in Iraq and Syria Aren’t Enough
Prominent Republican lawmakers were quick to criticize Friday’s airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as insufficient following the deaths of three U.S. soldiers in Jordan this week.
In the first of multiple rounds of expected retaliatory actions, U.S. bomber aircraft hit more than 85 targets connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force and “affiliated militia groups,” the U.S. military said in a statement. The Quds Force is Iran’s primary unit charged with conducting covert operations outside Iran.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Ark.) and Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) welcomed the strikes but said they were too little, too late.
13 Members of Iran-Backed Groups Killed and 17 Positions Destroyed in Deir Ezzor
13 members of Iranian groups were killed in airstrikes that are believed to have been carried out by US forces in the Deir Ezzor countryside.
The airstrikes destroyed 17 positions sheltering Iranian militias in Al-Mayadeen (the capital of Iranian militias in Syria) and Al-Bokamal near the borders between Syria and Iraq, in addition to airstrikes targeting positions near Deir Ezzor City.
Moreover, airstrikes were renewed on Ayya’s warehouses and the area near Deir Ezzor Military Airport, while an ammunition depot of the Iranian militias near the automated bakery on Portsaeed Road near Deir Ezzor City was also destroyed. Meanwhile, explosions were heard in the Al-Hezam area and Al-Sina’a Neighbourhood in Al-Bokamal near Syrian-Iraqi borders, as more airstrikes targeted Al-Mayadeen and Iranian camps in Al-Haidariya, Ain Ali Shrine, the archaeological palace, and Al-Shably.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM
January 2024 Monthly Report – Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM)
Based on the registered statistics at the Center for Statistics and Documentation of Iran Human Rights Monitor (Iran HRM), and through extensive research conducted in this field, the final figures for executions in January 2024 have been obtained. It should be emphasized that the actual numbers are significantly higher, as most executions in Iran are carried out secretly.
In January 2024, the statistics of executions in Iran have seen a significant increase, with the Iranian judiciary executing 88 individuals. This marks a 39% growth compared to January 2023 when the Iran regime executed 63 people, and a staggering 91% growth compared to January 2022 when 46 individuals were executed. These calculations indicate a disturbing upward trend in the number of executions in Iran, and the Iranian judiciary has employed a ruthless approach in carrying out these executions, which is highly concerning.
Iran’s Economy at the Edge of the Precipice
The World Bank has presented a disturbing report on Iran’s economy, indicating that each sector is currently in a critical state and facing a potential disaster soon. On January 26, the state-run Rouydad 24 news website covered the contents of this report and indirectly warned the regime, with a prediction of a grim future. The article asked: “How has Iran’s economy come to the brink of a precipice?”
While international economic institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have long been criticized for appeasing the ruling regime in Iran and turning a blind eye to the blatant realities of the country’s economic situation by relying on manipulated statistics and the regime’s engineered narratives to downplay crises, they have gradually distanced themselves from this flawed approach in recent times.
Impact of Seminary Scholars on Education in Iran: A Dive into Plummeting Student GPAs
Iranian schools have been marked by tension in the past two years, characterized by student protests, the presence of law enforcement agencies on school grounds, serial poisoning incidents with unidentified origins, and reports of seminary scholars teaching at schools have raised concerns. These factors have created a unique atmosphere in the educational environment, with the primary victims being the students, experiencing a decline in their academic performance.
The issue of low academic quality among students is not novel, but statistics from the academic year 2023 reveal an exacerbation of this decline. In the fields of experimental sciences, mathematical sciences, and humanities, the average GPAs of students between 2019 and 2023 have witnessed significant drops. This educational downturn is particularly pronounced in provinces grappling with high levels of deprivation.
Serpents of Vice: The Heroin and Meth Onslaught in Iran’s Darkening Drug Underworld
In a field report on February 1, Iran’s state-run newspaper, Etemad, discussed the prices and types of commonly used drugs in Iran. The report highlighted that over the past seven years, opium consumption has significantly decreased, with heroin and meth emerging as the most commonly used drugs.
The report was compiled based on interviews with owners and therapists from drug addiction treatment centers, including camps, clinics, and transitory harm reduction centers in all 31 provinces of the country. It compared the consumption trends of various drugs with the results of the latest national research published in 2016.
Across all provinces, heroin and meth emerged as the most consumed substances, while opium consumption experienced a drastic decline, reaching zero in some areas. Additionally, the continuous use of substances like ‘methadone syrup and tablets,’ recognized as addiction treatment drugs, was reported as widespread.
From Leader to Laggard – Iran’s Economic Choices and the Pistachio Market
While Iran’s share of the global pistachio market has plummeted to an unprecedented level, dipping below 18%, domestic consumption has also fallen sharply due to a dramatic surge in prices. Reports indicate that the average annual pistachio consumption per Iranian is now less than one kilogram.
According to a report from the state-run Tejarat News website, the current price for one kilogram of salted pistachio packs is at least 1,784,000 tomans. This translates to an approximate cost of 1,700 tomans per pistachio seed.
A quick browse through online stores further highlights the astronomical prices of both salted and raw pistachios. For instance, the cost of one kilogram of hand-picked saffron pistachios with special packaging can reach about three million tomans. This is in stark contrast to the 2023 prices, which ranged from 700 to 900,000 tomans, and the 2021 average of 400,000 tomans per kilogram.
Nasrin Sadat Shahrayeeni Sentenced to One Year and 91 Days in Prison
According to recent reports, Ms. Nasrin Sadat Shahrayeeni has been sentenced to one year and 91 days of imprisonment. Nasrin Sadat Shahrayeeni, 31, is from the city of Sabzevar, in Razavi Khorasan Province, northeastern Iran. She was summoned to the Prosecutor’s Office in September and arrested there and then. She has been detained in the Central Prison of Mashhad, also known as Vakilabad.
In November, the 1st Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Mashhad held her trial and sentenced her to one year in prison for “propaganda against the state,” and to 91 days for “inciting people to disrupt security.”
Baluch Student Killed Under Torture at IRGC Detention Center
Sepehr Shirani, a 19-year-old Baluch student, lost his life three days after being detained at the Zahedan Intelligence Detention Center, according to Haalvash news website. The Baloch Activists Campaign has attributed his death to torture. Shirani was arrested by Zahedan security forces on Tuesday, January 30, for his activities on social media. According to Haalvsh, which covers news in Sistan and Baluchestan province, the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence forces informed Shirani’s family on Thursday, February 1, that Sepehr had lost his life.
The report stated that the body of the deceased young man had been in the possession of the Zahedan Intelligence at the time of the report, and his family and relatives are currently engaged in the necessary procedures to receive the body from the coroner.
Bern, Switzerland—January 30, 2024: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Bern, Switzerland—January 30, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran(PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the recent wave of brutal executions by the mullahs’ regime in Iran.
Lucerne, Switzerland: MEK Supporters Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Lucerne, Switzerland — January 31, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a book exhibition in solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.