THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 8:00 PM
Chinese Nationals Charged with Illegally Exporting U.S.-Origin Electronic Components to Iran and Iranian Military Affiliates
WASHINGTON – Four Chinese nationals are charged in an indictment in the District of Columbia with various federal crimes related to a years-long conspiracy to unlawfully export and smuggle U.S.-origin electronic components from the United States to Iran.
According to court documents, Baoxia Liu, aka Emily Liu; Yiu Wa Yung, aka Stephen Yung; Yongxin Li, aka Emma Lee; and Yanlai Zhong, aka Sydney Chung, unlawfully exported and smuggled U.S. export controlled items through China and Hong Kong ultimately for the benefit of entities affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), which supervises Iran’s development and production of missiles, weapons, and military aerial equipment to include Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs).
Young Kim Pushes to Restore Congressional Authority on Iran Sanctions
Washington, DC – Today, the Financial Services Committee passed several bills to counter the malign influence of the Iranian regime, including the Iran Counterterrorism Act of 2023 (H.R. 6323) introduced by U.S. Representative Young Kim (CA-40) to restore Congressional authority over Iran sanctions.
Under current law, the Biden administration has authority granted by Congress to waive sanctions on Iran. H.R. 6323 would amend this authority to prohibit the administration from issuing a waiver on Iran sanctions unless either a joint resolution is passed by Congress, or the administration can certify that the Iranian regime has ceased to provide support for international terrorist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. Additionally, Congress will also be able to debate a joint resolution of disapproval of a waiver.
Wednesday Protests in Iran
Several cities in Iran, including Mahabad, Sanandaj, Saqqez, Bukan, Kamiaran, Baneh, Ravansar, Dehgolan, Divandareh, Qorveh, Marivan, and the Farhangian neighborhood in Kermanshah, witnessed strikes amid an increasing rate of state-sanctioned executions by the clerical regime. The strikes coincided with the regime’s refusal to hand over the bodies of executed Kurdish youths to their families. Despite this, residents of Mahabad, Bukan, Kamyaran, and Dehgolan visited the homes of the executed youths to offer condolences.
Political prisoners in Ghezel Hesar Prison also announced a strike on Tuesday in protest against the executions.
Furthermore, in Tabriz, workers from the Etminan food company went on strike, highlighting grievances related to low wages and poor living conditions.
January 31—Tabriz, northwest #Iran
Workers of Etminan food company on strike and protesting low wages and poor living conditions.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/o0ur56YLyW— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 31, 2024
Treasury Sanctions Iranian IRGC-QF and Hizballah Financial Network
WASHINGTON — Today, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned three entities and one individual located in Lebanon and Türkiye for providing critical financial support to an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hizballah financial network. These entities have generated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of revenue from selling Iranian commodities, including to the Syrian government. These commodity sales provide a key source of funding for the IRGC-QF and Hizballah’s continued terrorist activities and support to other terrorist organizations throughout the region.
“Today’s action underscores our resolve to prevent the IRGC-QF and its proxy terrorist groups from exploiting the international trading system to fund their destabilizing activities,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Brian E. Nelson. “The United States will continue to take action to expose and disrupt these illicit schemes.”
UPDATE: 1:00 PM
What We Know About Biden’s Planned Retaliation After Drone Strike
The U.S. response to a drone attack that killed three American service members in Jordan last weekend will be carried out “over the course of several days” and striking “multiple targets,” a U.S. official told ABC News Tuesday.
“These are going to be very deliberate targets — deliberate strikes on facilities that enabled these attacks” on U.S. forces, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive details.
Officials would not say whether any of the targets would be inside or outside Iran.
Leaving the White House Tuesday morning, President Joe Biden said he had decided how the U.S. would respond to the attack by Iran-backed militants, but gave no more details.
Currency Devaluation Used to Offset Budget Gaps, Iranian State-affiliated Expert Acknowledges
A state-affiliated economist admitted that the regime is utilizing the devaluation of the rial against the dollar to offset budget deficits.
In an interview with the state-run Entekhab website, Saeed Eslami Bidgoli stated, “It was anticipated that the currency surge would be postponed until after Eid [Iran’s New Year in March], but now we are witnessing it. There has always been speculation that the government would exploit currency fluctuations to address budget shortfalls, but the deficit is so substantial that it cannot be compensated for in this manner.”
“In my opinion, the exchange rate will remain in the range of 60,000 to 65,000 tomans per dollar during Eid,” he added.
Meanwhile, Kamal Seyyed Ali, former currency deputy at the Central Bank, commented on the government’s budget deficit, saying, “The budget deficit and its provision through liquidity and 40% inflation affect the exchange rate as a commodity; this caused a 9% increase.”
He added, “The relationship between inflation and price hikes is reciprocal; the increase in the price of the dollar is caused by inflation, and the increase in the exchange rate further exacerbates inflation. The volume of liquidity and money printing by the Central Bank has exacerbated this cycle.”
Security Forces Raid Homes and Dwellings of Deprived Community in Southeast Iran
Today, forces from the Iranian regime’s Housing and Urban Development Foundation, accompanied by dozens of riot control vehicles, launched an attack on the homes and huts of the deprived people of Ahmadabad village in the Ramin district of Chabahar, Sistan and Baluchestan province. The vicious assault inflicted severe damage on the vulnerable neighborhood, affecting the residents’ dwellings. Further details about the incident and the condition of the affected people are currently unavailable.
UPDATE: 9:30 AM
Iran’s Regime Fans the Flames of War in the Middle East To Hide Its Domestic Weaknesses
There is no doubt that Iran’s regime is playing an important role in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. But what many analysts and politicians are still puzzled about is the motivation behind the regime fanning the flames of war in the region.
The regime’s primary objective is “to divert attention from the precarious internal state of the regime and the volatile conditions within Iranian society,” writes the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) in its latest comprehensive analysis of the regime’s regional strategy. The regime is trying in vain to contain an explosive society and prevent the expansion of the network of the Iranian Resistance.
“In this challenging context, the regime’s recurring strategy is to export crises abroad—a tactic employed consistently over more than four decades,” the NCRI writes.
The Depletion of Water, Soil, Air, and Life in Iran
Deprivation in Iran has reached a point where the people have been denied of the right to breathable air. They must take to the streets and cry out to obtain their vital and natural right. This symbolizes a regime that does not hesitate to commit atrocities against the people of Iran.
Under the rule of mullahs, who do not recognize any international standards for citizen health, Iran’s people have been suffering from air pollution caused by polluting industries for decades. Even media and environmental experts of the regime raise warnings and publish articles about this critical issue, but public health has no place on the mullahs’ agenda.
Iran’s Energy Conundrum: Struggling with Intensity, Inefficiency, and Economic Challenges
The head of Iran’s National Productivity Organization has raised an alarming concern: as of 2022, Iran holds the dubious distinction of having the highest energy consumption intensity in the world. Mirsaman Pishwai, on January 27, attributed this unsettling ranking to a combination of ‘waste of energy and low efficiency.’
Global statistics from the World Bank and the European Union Environmental Agency echo this sentiment, placing Iran at the bottom of the world table concerning energy consumption intensity. This metric, calculated as the ratio between energy consumption and a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), unveils a stark reality for Iran.
Challenges and Vulnerabilities in Iran’s Economic Landscape
The economic landscape of Iran in 2023 is etched in the memory of its citizens primarily through one overarching theme: inflation. During this period, a surge in prices was intricately linked to the sudden devaluation of the rial, leading to a general decline in the purchasing power of Iranians.
The socioeconomic divide in Iran has witnessed a marked increase. This heightened inflation, coupled with numerous challenges in housing, rent, and the provisioning of basic necessities, has significantly elevated the pressure on the everyday lives of Iranians.
Challenges in the agricultural and animal husbandry sectors, as well as other economic domains, have compounded these struggles, resulting in a disconcerting imbalance between income and expenditures.
Atrak River’s Demise: Ignored Warnings Lead to Environmental and Economic Crisis
Atrak River, once considered one of Iran’s most abundant waterways, has now succumbed to complete dryness due to the disregard for expert warnings. Recent images of the riverbed, shared by media and environmental activists, highlight the severity of the situation, endangering the livelihoods of nearly 25,000 farmers who relied solely on Atrak for water.
The alarm bells for Atrak River began ringing about two decades ago when extensive dam constructions and unchecked exploitation for agricultural and aquaculture purposes took a toll on its vitality. Ignoring warnings from the late ‘90s has resulted in an 80% depletion of the river by 2022, culminating in its complete drying up. This is particularly alarming given that Atrak was the sole source of fresh water in Northeast Iran, providing essential water to numerous cities and at least 800 villages.
Unveiling Deceptive Economic Narratives: A Critique by Sharq Newspaper
In a scathing note, the Sharq newspaper has accused the Iranian government of disseminating ‘unreal’ statistics and information regarding both domestic and foreign economic conditions. The newspaper contends that the government’s objective is to persuade both themselves and the public, especially those in the lower deciles of society, that the situation of the Iranian people is either not worse or perhaps even better than many countries, including those in the region.
According to Sharq’s claim, this strategy has gained traction among some lower-level managers who, by citing examples from various countries, many of which are far from reality, seek to convey a message of gratitude to the people.
Tina Delju Jailed To Serve One Year in Lakan Prison
Tina Delju has a Ph.D. in political science and lectured at Azad University
On the morning of Monday, January 29, 2024, Tina Delju was transferred to the Central Prison of Rasht (Lakan Prison) to serve her one-year sentence.
Tina Delju has a Ph.D. in political science. She was a civil and social activist and taught in Azad University.
In December, the 3rd branch of the Revolutionary Court of Rasht sentenced Tina Delju to one year in prison for disseminating “propaganda against the state.”
What Iran’s Regime is Hiding Behind Its Warmongering in the Middle East
Iran’s regime has been engaged in a series of conflicts in the Middle East, capturing global attention since October 2023. Initially, questions arose regarding the regime’s role in sparking these conflicts. However, after three months of intense fighting and the evident involvement of Iran’s proxies in the region, it is now widely acknowledged that the regime has inflamed the entire region. But what lies behind Iran’s warmongering? The answer lies in the regime’s desperate attempts to divert attention from its internal problems.
The regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, faced with widespread discontent and ongoing uprisings, feared his own overthrow during the 2022 uprising. To safeguard the regime, Tehran’s primary objective in fomenting regional crises is to create a smokescreen that conceals the precarious internal state of the regime and the volatile conditions within Iranian society. This tactic of exporting crises abroad is not a demonstration of strength but rather a means of running away from the regime’s profound domestic vulnerabilities, as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) writes in a new analysis report.
Ottawa, Canada—January 27, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Ottawa, Canada—January 27, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in sub-zero freezing weather to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the execution of two political prisoners Mohammad Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi, who were executed on January 23, 2024. They also expressed their distaste for the inhuman verdict of gouging the eyes of Mehdi Mousavian, who was arrested and detained during the 2018 Iran protests.
Oslo, Norway—January 27, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Oslo, Norway—January 27, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in subzero freezing weather to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the execution of two political prisoners Mohammad Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi, who were executed on January 23, 2024. They also expressed their distaste for the inhuman verdict of gouging the eyes of Mehdi Mousavian, who was arrested and detained during the 2018 Iran protests.
Washington, DC—January 27, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Washington, DC—January 27, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in front of the White House to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the execution of two political prisoners Mohammad Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi, who were executed on January 23, 2024. They also expressed their distaste for the inhuman verdict of gouging the eyes of Mehdi Mousavian, who was arrested and detained during the 2018 Iran protests.
Vancouver, Canada—January 27, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution, Condemning the Wave of Executions in Iran
Vancouver, Canada—January 27, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in sub-zero freezing weather to express support for the Iranian Revolution. Iranians strongly condemned the execution of two political prisoners Mohammad Ghobadlou and Farhad Salimi, who were executed on January 23, 2024. They also expressed their distaste for the inhuman verdict of gouging the eyes of Mehdi Mousavian, who was arrested and detained during the 2018 Iran protests.
