THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:00 PM
Vidal-Quadras, Hailed By The Iranian Resistance At A Rally On The Outskirts Of Paris
“Our hero Alejo!” shouted two hundred members of the Iranian resistance gathered on the outskirts of Paris to welcome Spanish politician Alejo Vidal-Quadras after the attack he suffered in Madrid almost four months ago.
“Your presence here fills us with joy. You are the eloquent voice of the world speaking out against terrorism and repression by the Iranian regime,” said Maryam Rajavi, president of the National Council of Iranian Resistance, the main opposition to the ayatollahs’ regime and with whom Vidal-Quadras has collaborated for two decades.
The words of the leaders of the so-called ‘mujahideen’ movement brought to their feet the surrendered auditorium at the Council’s headquarters in Auvers-sur-Oise, a town west of Paris known for having hosted the last days of Vincent van Gogh.
Iranian Officials Blame Power Plants for Continued Air Pollution Amid Snowfall
As pollution persists in major cities like Tehran, Isfahan, and Arak despite recent snow and rainfall across various regions of Iran, authorities have acknowledged that the pollution stems from the burning of Mazut in power plants.
Provincial authorities in Tehran have issued warnings regarding the ongoing air pollution and the risks it poses to children and the elderly. This comes as Tehran has experienced snow and rainfall in recent days.
According to the state-run ISNA News Agency on March 5, the “Air Pollution Monitoring Center” in Tehran Province announced that air pollution in the capital will continue “until the morning of Thursday, March 7.”
The report indicates that by the early morning hours of March 5, the average air quality index had reached 128, with increased levels of suspended pollutant particles, “posing unhealthy conditions for sensitive groups.”
In its announcement, the center recommended that “children and the elderly” refrain from outdoor activities and urged other citizens to “avoid unnecessary travel in private vehicles.”
Amid Post-Election Turmoil US Dollar Surges to Record High 61,000 Tomans in Tehran’s Free Market
In recent days, the price of the US dollar in the free market of Tehran continued its upward trend, reaching 61,000 tomans. According to reports from Tehran’s exchange offices, the price of gold coins also saw an increase of approximately one million tomans compared to the previous day, reaching 36,400,000 tomans in morning trading on Monday, March 4.
According to reports from Khabar Online, analysis of the currency market indicated a growth in demand and a shortage of dollar sellers in Sunday’s transactions. The media attributed the reluctance to sell dollars to the “fear of the dollar’s jump to a higher corridor.”
The turmoil in Iran’s currency market has escalated following the recent sham elections. Previously, analysts and market experts predicted that after the elections on March 1, the price of the dollar in Iran would rise. Before this recent increase, the price of the US dollar in Tehran’s currency market had surpassed the 60,000 tomans mark. According to sources from Tehran’s exchange offices, each US dollar was sold for 60,600 tomans on Monday, March 4.
Iran Supplying Russia With Ballistic Missiles Shows They Are ‘Bad Influence’ In Europe, Grant Shapps Signals
Iran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles as Moscow wages war in Ukraine, Britain’s defense secretary has signaled, accusing Tehran of being a “bad influence” in Europe. Grant Shapps was asked in an interview with a political magazine whether he had any information on Iran’s reported provision of surface-to-surface missiles to Russia. The senior cabinet minister told The House publication: “I do. I can’t go into it.”
He continued: “But… whether it’s ballistic missiles or the Shahed drones that they supplied Russia with, we’ve seen that if there’s a struggle in the world, often Iran is egging it on, or helping to supply the food chain in this case.
UPDATE: 1:00 PM
Week-Long Devastating Floods in Baluchistan Prompt Fury Towards Regime’s Inaction
A week after destructive floods wreaked havoc in the Sistan and Baluchistan Province, besieging dozens of villages and flooding several towns, the clerical regime continues to drag its feet in providing aid to the flood-affected regions, sparking public outrage over the systemic inertia.
The state-run news site, Khabar Online, admitted that some villages have been struck by floods in recent days, a siege that is still ongoing. A social activist assisting flood victims stated, “We are in the Talang area, where some villages have been without aid for seven days, and others have been submerged in water for eight days. So far, no relief services have been provided.”
According to the Ensaf News website, the floods in Sistan and Baluchistan have resulted in extensive destruction, and some villages remain besieged by floods. The source reported, “The headman of one of the villages in Dashtiyari District of Chabahar county said that several days after the flood, the media has just begun to report about it today. They were busy with elections, and now they turn to the Baluchistan floods.”
The head of the council of the Bahuklat District in Sistan and Baluchistan Province stated, “Despite the water receding in some villages, it has been about 4 or 5 days since the people received any food rations, and there are no facilities available.”
Despite the regime’s apathy towards aiding flood victims, fellow citizens have independently taken action to send essential aid to the deprived people in flood-hit areas of Sistan and Baluchistan, including Dashtiyari. The regime’s failure to assist the flood-stricken areas has amplified frustrations among Iranians, showcasing a stark contrast between the regime’s priorities and the urgent needs of its citizens in times of crisis.
Iran’s Parliament Session Cancelled Due to Lack of Quorum Following Election Upset
Today, on Tuesday, March 5th, the Iranian regime’s parliament encountered a setback. The initial session following the electoral disappointment was called off due to the absence of 109 members, which prevented the assembly from meeting the required quorum.
The news was reported by state media, stating that the planned open session of the parliament today did not take place due to the insufficient number of representatives needed to convene the session.
A member of the parliament Ahmad-Hossein Fallahi revealed, “Qalibaf announced that the names of absent representatives in today’s session will be published tomorrow.”
The source added, “Apparently, this morning, a significant number of representatives who either did not secure votes for the upcoming parliamentary term or were sent to compete in the second round of elections were absent from the open session. This absence has led to the session falling below the required quorum.”
FBI Hunting For Iranian Spy Who Allegedly Plotted Assassination Of Mike Pompeo, Other US Officials
The FBI is hunting for an alleged Iranian spy who is accused of plotting to assassinate former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and other American officials. Majid Dastjani Farahani speaks Farasi, French, Spanish, and English and frequently travels between Iran and Venezuela, according to an alert Friday by the agency’s Miami field office.
The 41-year-old suspected member of Iran’s brutal Ministry of Intelligence and Security had been recruiting “individuals for operations in the U.S., to include lethal targeting of current/former [U.S. government] officials,” the FBI said. The alert came as Iran sought to avenge the 2020 US assassination of Major General Qasem Soleimani under Pompeo’s watch. Farahani had been recruiting individuals “as revenge” for Soleimani’s death, according to the feds.
Sens. Rick Scott & Tim Scott Call for Censure of Iran for Nuclear Buildup
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Senator Rick Scott joined Senator Tim Scott and their colleagues in announcing that they are calling on the Biden administration to censure Iran at the next International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors meeting, which begins today, March 4, 2024. In December, the IAEA issued a report showing that Iran’s nuclear enrichment activity tripled by the end of last year. A U.S.-led censure of Iran at the IAEA would apply needed pressure on the regime after months of heightened tension in the Middle East and would send a strong message that rogue nuclear programs by any country, especially the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, will not be tolerated. Joining Senators Rick Scott and Tim Scott are Senators Marco Rubio, Tom Cotton, Cynthia Lummis, Bill Hagerty, Pete Ricketts, Thom Tillis, Mike Braun and James Lankford. Their letter was delivered to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, March 1.
UPDATE: 7:30 AM
The Annual Report 2024 of the NCRI Women’s Committee
On the eve of International Women’s Day, the NCRI Women’s Committee publishes its Annual Report 2024, reviewing the events of the past year from March 2023 to March 2024, as regards the struggle of women in Iran for freedom, democracy, and equality. Around this time last year, the world marveled at the extraordinary courage and resilience of Iranian women standing against the oppressive forces of Iran’s ruling religious dictatorship. What distinguished this year was the even greater courage and heightened resilience demonstrated by Iranian women in the face of the intensified oppression imposed by the clerical regime.
The Annual Report 2024 of the NCRI Women’s Committee aims to highlight the remarkable reality that compared to the previous year, Iranian women faced even harsher conditions. Despite the regime’s deployment of repressive forces, abundant resources, and misogynistic laws, they maintained their resistance, entering a more challenging phase.
Telecommunications Retirees Across Iran Resume Protests For Rights, Pensions
On March 4, retirees from the Telecommunications Company of Iran took to the streets in a series of coordinated protests in multiple cities to voice their complaints about the inadequacy of their retirement pensions and the government’s continuous neglect of their rights. These demonstrations took place in Arak, Ahvaz, Bandar Abbas, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Marivan, Tehran, Khorramabad, Shiraz, and Qorveh, representing a significant nationwide protest against economic injustice and the deteriorating living conditions of the retired workforce in Iran.
In the capital, Tehran, retirees organized a protest and march in Sardar Jangal Boulevard, in addition to another gathering of retirees demanding attention to their plight. Similar scenes of discontent were evident in Khorramabad in Lorestan province and Shiraz, where retirees rallied to express their demands.
The Human Tragedy of Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan Flood
According to reports, a devastating flood has caused extensive damage in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchistan province. Footage and images from this impoverished region depict thousands of people stranded in the cold without shelter.
The flood has impacted nearly 2000 villages and several cities, rendering access to over two-thirds of them impossible. An official from the government acknowledged that initial assessments revealed 500 homes completely destroyed. Despite a week passing since the flooding began, the people of Sistan and Baluchistan remain surrounded by rising waters.
State-run website Ensaf News reported that the flood has caused widespread destruction in Sistan and Baluchistan, with some villages still inundated.
Iran’s Election Circus Turns Into a Global Scandal After Mass Boycott
As predicted, Iran’s regime orchestrated a farcical and ludicrous election spectacle that has since unraveled into a global scandal. Despite the fervent pleas of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other officials, the Iranian populace resolutely demonstrated their national will by boycotting this charade, making it clear that their ultimate vote is for the overthrow of this religious tyranny. Despite repeated entreaties for participation in this recession circus, Khamenei resorted once more to urging and pleading for votes. Desperately, in announcement number 23, the regime’s election headquarters implored eligible individuals not to delay visiting polling stations until the day’s end. In announcement number 24, the headquarters even declared that individuals holding birth certificates without photos could also partake in the elections.
UN Special Rapporteur’s Report on Iran’s Human Rights Crisis
Javaid Rehman, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran, reiterated his concern over the escalating number of death sentences issued and carried out by the regime’s judicial system in his latest report.
In his report prepared for the 55th session of the Human Rights Council, Rehman highlights that Iran saw at least 834 executions in 2023, marking a 43% increase compared to the previous year.
Reflecting on past protests, notably in 2009, 2019, and 2022, Rehman expresses alarm over the arbitrary arrests, forced disappearances, torture, rushed executions, and lack of fair trials for protesters.
Nearly 9,000 Iranian Nurses Migrate or Retire Annually
According to officials from the Iranian Nursing Organization, Nearly 9,000 Iranian nurses migrate or retire annually.
In a meeting of the Supreme Nursing Council on March 3, Mohammad Taghi Jahanpour, the head of the Nursing Organization, issued a warning about the state of nursing in Iran, citing the migration of over 2,700 nurses and the retirement of 6,000 nurses annually.
As reported by the news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, Tasnim, Jahanpour referred to this phenomenon as a “serious alarm for the healthcare system.”
Half of Iranians Live in Absolute Poverty
Half of Iranians live below the absolute poverty line, according to a report by the Iranian regime’s Eghtesad 24 website on March 2. The report highlights the existence of a “broad class divide” in Iran, stating that “half of the Iranian population is below the absolute poverty line.”
Concurrently with the release of this report, discussions regarding the minimum wage for workers in Iran for the coming year continue.
In a situation where even official labor organizations are calling for an increase in the minimum wage to 250 million rials (approximately $420), Davood Manzour, the Vice President and head of the Planning and Budget Organization, stated on March 2 to the semiofficial ILNA news agency that “wages should increase in line with the country’s economic requirements and expected inflation.”
Berlin—March 3, 2024: MEK Supporters Held an Exhibition in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Berlin, Germany—March 3, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution. The exhibition also served as a stage for condemning the recent spike in severe executions in Iran.
Oslo, Norway—March 2, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Oslo, Norway—March 2, 2024: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally in front of the Norwegian Parliament to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.
Toronto, Canada—March 2, 2024: MEK Supporters Rally in Solidarity With the Iran Revolution
Toronto, Canada—March 2, 2024: Despite snowy and freezing weather, freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized a rally to express solidarity with the Iranian Revolution.