Khamenei acknowledged the regime’s economic failure in remarks broadcast on state TV during a meeting with some regime experts, reversing himself and the bogus claims he and Raisi had made about economic and social prosperity! Khamenei acknowledged “poverty and visible living problems,” “difficult livelihood of Iranian families,” and “unemployment and migration of millions of citizens.”

 

The Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is one of the most infamous and brutal organizations. It was founded in 2009 as one of the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s initiatives in response to widespread protests against the fraudulent election at the time. The organization is at least as powerful as the regime’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS), if not more so. It is more active on the domestic front.

 

Following Saturday night’s earthquake in Khoy, West Azerbaijan Province, northwest Iran, residents have been left to fend for themselves in the freezing cold weather with no meaningful assistance from authorities. However, regime officials immediately dispatched security units to the area.

 

 

Zeynab Molaei Rad did not receive a violation notice, and her job suspension was communicated to her verbally. The security personnel acted harshly and disrespectfully. Despite her request, they refused to provide Ms. Molaei Rad with a written letter.

The Iranian regime’s security forces killed Kian Pirfalak, Zeynab Molaei Rad’s son, and seriously injured his father by opening fire on their car on the evening of November 16, 2022, in the city of Izeh. Security forces also killed seven other people in Izeh that night. Kian’s father, Maysam Pirfalak, is now unable to walk or stand, and the family is preoccupied with his hospital treatment.

 

 

Officials from the clerical regime attempted to blame terrorists for the deaths of Kian and several other Izeh residents. However, Zeynab Molaei Rad emphasized during her son’s funeral ceremony in front of thousands of people and security forces that the government’s claim about the terrorist attack was a lie, and the security forces themselves shot at the family’s car.

 

 

On the other hand, Kian’s uncle, Sajjad Pirfalak, stated in an interview with Etemad newspaper that the truth is what Kian’s mother said in front of thousands of people.

 

 

 

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On Wednesday, the Friends of Free Iran (FOFI) inter-parliamentary group in the European Parliament held a conference in solidarity with the Iranian people’s uprising and the EU’s policy regarding the Iranian regime and its terrorist Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). The event, which was held in Brussels, brought together prominent MEPs, human rights activists, and experts to discuss the situation in Iran and the EU’s role in addressing the ongoing human rights crisis. The keynote speaker of the event was Iranian opposition President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

The conference also focused on the EU’s policy towards Iran and its recent decision to not add the IRGC to the EU’s terrorist list. Mrs. Rajavi stressed that the EU’s refusal to implement the EP’s resolution is a huge disappointment for the Iranian protesters and human rights defenders. “For years, EU policy has been based on engagement with the mullahs’ regime.

 

 

 

 

Look at the number of European or dual citizens currently held hostage in Iran. Europe’s failure to hold the regime accountable has given it a license for impunity for its crimes against the Iranian people and impunity for terrorism in Europe and hostage-taking.”

In his opening remarks, MEP Petras Auštrevičius, who co-chaired the event, referred to FOFI’s declarations and the EP’s resolution calling for the IRGC’s terrorist designation. He expressed his support for the Iranian people and the need for a firm policy towards the regime. “We ask as well for the immediate and unconditional release of all protesters sentenced to death, and the list is included. There is a line expressing our strong solidarity with Iranian youth, women, and men for each and every normal society and country.”

MEP Auštrevičius also emphasized the need for further action to be taken by the EU regarding the Iranian regime. He referred to the EP’s resolution and stated, “Indeed, a very special line is dedicated to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and its subsidiary forces. We asked to include them on the terrorist list.”

 

 

 

 

 

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Protests in Iran have now spread to at least 282 cities. According to sources from the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin of Iran (PMOI/MEK), the regime’s forces have killed over 750 people and arrested over 30,000. The MEK has released the names of 637 protesters who were killed. In Zahedan, regime officials have been flying military helicopters over the city to instill fear among residents. Protesters were heard chanting anti-regime slogans such as “Death to Khamenei!” “So many years of criminality!” “Death to the regime of the mullahs!”

 

On Friday, people took to the streets in Tehran’s various districts, as well as Rask, Khash, and Galikesh in Golestan Province in northeast Iran. On Friday, people gathered in Izeh, Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, to remember Saeed Saeedi, a protester killed by the regime’s security forces. Iranian opposition President-elect Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), praised the people of Zahedan and the entire province of Sistan & Baluchestan for their courage in continuing to protest the mullahs’ regime.

 

January 27 – Zahedan, southeast #Iran
Protesters chanting: "So many years of crimes! Death to the mullahs' regime!"#IranRevolution#مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبرpic.twitter.com/lCO9u0AbLO

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 27, 2023

 

“The courageous people of Zahedan and Rask took to the streets after their Friday prayer chanting, ‘Death to Khamenei,’ ‘Death to Basij’ and ‘Khamenei is a criminal’. “Our Baluch compatriots demonstrated the determination of all Iranians to destabilize the regime and achieve freedom,” she stressed.

The NCRI President-elect also sent a message to the Arab-Islamic Conference in Brussels on Friday, titled “Solidarity with the Iranian people’s democratic revolution,” emphasizing that overthrowing the mullahs’ regime is a prerequisite for ridding Iran and the Middle East of the scourge of religious extremism, terrorism, and warmongering.

 

The courageous people of #Zahedan & Rask took to the streets after their Friday prayer chanting, “Death to Khamenei,” “Death to Basij” & “Khamenei is a criminal” Our Baluch compatriots displayed the resolve of all Iranians to overthrow the regime & achieve freedom#IranRevoIution pic.twitter.com/mrGH2AnCge

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 27, 2023

 

“The people of Iran have refuted both the past and present regimes thousands of times by their chants of ‘Down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the mullahs’ supreme leader!’ and similar slogans. As a result, the Iranian people have rejected all forms of dictatorship,” she went on to say.

“We called on Middle East countries to establish a common front against the clerical regime, with the Iranian people and resistance as decisive components. Such a front is required for the region and Iran to be liberated from religious extremism, terrorism, and warmongering. The region and the world will not be at peace until they target the epicenter of fundamentalism, the mullahs’ regime. The alternative, as stated by the NCRI President-elect, is to fight for a free Iran that brings friendship, fraternity, and peace to the Middle East and the world.

 

The people of #Iran have refuted both the past and present regimes thousands of times by their chants of “down with the oppressor, be it the shah or the mullahs’ supreme leader” & similar slogans. As such, the Iranian people have rejected all forms of dictatorship#IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/RxPWV2lBYp

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 27, 2023

 

 

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Tahereh Bejervani

Tahereh Bejervani, the widow of Ali Fotouhi, who was shot and killed by security forces during the November 2019 uprising, was arrested on December 21, 2022, at her workplace in the Tehran suburb of Shahrak-e Qods.

Tahereh Bejervani’s detention has been extended for another month due to her refusal to submit to interrogation and make forced confessions.

Tahereh Bejervani called her family on January 1 to inform them that she was being held in Evin Prison’s Ward 209 at the time. She claimed she had only been interrogated once during her detention. According to social media reports, security forces pressed Ms. Bejervani to accept fabricated charges.

 

 

Niloufar Mohandes 

Niloufar Mohandes, 17, was arrested during a protest by detained protesters’ families outside Karaj’s Gohardasht Prison and taken to an unknown location.

Families of prisoners and a large number of young people gathered outside Gohardasht Prison in the early hours of January 12 to prevent the execution of detained protesters Mohammad Ghobadlou and Mohammad Broghani. They chanted slogans until dawn, demanding that his execution be halted.

Niloufar Mohandes was arrested after protesting the executions of Mohammad Ghobadlou and Mohammad Broghani outside Gohardasht Prison. So far, no institution has accepted responsibility for her arrest and subsequent response to her family.

 

 

Mahboubeh Mousavi

On December 11, 2022, during nationwide protests, Mousavi, from Ahvaz, was shot by police. Mahboubeh Mousavi was last seen in an apartment after being shot and has since gone missing.

 

 

Mahsa Salehi

Mahsa Salehi, 17, was arrested on January 8 in Freedom Square for assisting arrested protesters in escaping from a police van during the nationwide protests. She was taken to Evin Prison, where security guards broke her nose and left hand in an attempt to force her to confess. Mahsa Salehi is said to be in poor physical condition, and her wounds have become infected. She is not permitted to have visitors.

 

 

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Demonstrators chanted, “Death to Khamenei, damn with Khomeini,” “Death to the Supreme Leader after many long years of crimes,” “Death to the oppressor, be it the Shah or the Leader (Khamenei),” “Shame on Khamenei, let go of the country,” “We are hungry, Khamenei is a criminal,” “Poverty, corruption, high prices, onward to overthrow,” and “Death to the informant, death to Basiji, death to IRGC.”

The demonstrators carried placards that read, “No to the dictatorship of Shah or clergy, yes to the Democratic Republic,” “Baluchistan, in all ups and downs, is the land of thousands of warriors” and “We want Democracy and Equality.”

 

January 27 – Zahedan, southeast #Iran
Dozens of people were arrested today, including at least 17 security personnel of the Grand Makki Mosque.
Many were also injured as security forces opened fire.#IranRevolution #مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چە_شاە_باشه_چە_رهبر pic.twitter.com/OhJqaNtIjJ

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 27, 2023

 

The suppressive forces surrounded Makki Mosque and the special motorized units attacked the demonstrators and arrested a number of them. Since yesterday, the IRGC intensified security in Zahedan more than ever by establishing checkpoints at the entrances to the city and throughout the urban area in order to prevent demonstrations.

In the meantime, people in Rask staged demonstrations and chanted “Death to Khamenei” and “Death to Basiji.” In the city of Galikesh in Golestan province, fellow Sunnis staged a protest gathering against the house arrest of Molavi Mohammad Hossein Gorgij, the Friday prayer leader of Azad Shahr.

 

January 27 – Zahedan, southeast #Iran
People are in streets protesting and chanting "Death to Khamenei!"
Their placard rejects any return to the Shah's dictatorship or a monarchical rule.#IranRevolution #مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چە_شاە_باشه_چە_رهبر pic.twitter.com/pUK9gSwtIC

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 27, 2023

In Izeh, the ceremony of the 40^th day of martyrdom Hossein Saeedi and Mahmoud Ahmadi were held today and yesterday consecutively. Large crowds attending the ceremonies chanted “Death to Khamenei,” “From Zahedan to Izeh, our homeland is bleeding,” “Mahmoud Ahmadi, a Bakhtiari (local ethnic) warrior” and “Hussein Saidi, a Bakhtiari warrior.” They were killed on December 20, 2022, in an attack on their residence, but the regime refused to hand over their bodies to their families in fear of people’s protests.

Last night, in the Parand neighborhood of Tehran, the slogans of “Death to the dictator” echoed from the buildings during a power outage. In Ahvaz, the defiant youths set fire to a Basij base. In Naqadeh, the youths attacked the place of one of the regime’s agents using Molotov cocktails.

January 27 – Zahedan, southeast #Iran
Images of the regime's plainclothes agents abducting local civilians.#IranRevolution#مرگ_بر_ستمگر_چه_شاه_باشه_چه_رهبر pic.twitter.com/rYh6IsOX5L

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 27, 2023

 

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Food is the second most expensive household expense, after housing. According to a report from the Iranian regime’s statistics center, the price of food and beverages increased by 63.6 percent in December 2022 when compared to December 2021. In 2022, food expenses accounted for approximately 26.7 percent of total urban household expenditures. Around seven food products that are very important in the household food basket (such as oil and rice) have increased in price by more than 100 percent. The World Bank published a list of the top ten countries experiencing a food security crisis due to inflation, with Iran ranking seventh.

The population living below the poverty line is a topic of discussion among regime experts. They are warning regime officials that the continuation of this situation will only exacerbate the ongoing protests caused by the expansion of a starving nation. According to a recent report from the regime’s Ministry of Labor, the poverty line for Tehran and similar large cities is around 145 million rials ($370) per household. This figure was half of this for cities and villages, averaging 77 million rials ($185).

 

 

Many regime experts are criticizing the government’s calculations, claiming that the true poverty line is much higher, at around 180 million rials or even more. The massive disparity between the minimum income of people above the poverty line in Tehran and other cities and marginal areas, of course, when fixed prices of food, clothing, transportation, and health are taken into account, is strange, to say the least.

Discrimination in determining the minimum wage will increase labor migration and the evacuation of small cities and villages in the coming year (Persian Calendar). The current crisis of marginalization and people living in urban slums will only exacerbate the economic and social damage. Meanwhile, many workers are now receiving even lower wages, which has affected the overall poverty line.

 

The absolute poverty line is for those who are forced to work more than the allowed amount to escape poverty but remain in poverty. Some work 16 hours a day in two or three shifts, but they are still impoverished.

 

 

 

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Raisi claimed that “all budget indicators show positive economic growth” in his litany of lies in defense of his budget bill on Monday. 4% economic growth, 5% increase in production tools, 7% increase in industry added value, 17% increase in trade and 19% increase in non-oil exports, and 70% growth in knowledge-based companies.”

Like Don Quixote, who defeated the imaginary monster, Raisi boasted about conquering Iran’s economic crises, such as lowering inflation by 19%, only to be snubbed by handpicked MPs! Furthermore, the engineered statistics produced by various state institutions and officials refute this bogus claim.

 

Raisi’s budget bill for the next fiscal year beginning on March 2023, features a whopping 131% increase for the #IRGC, from roughly $1.24 billion to about $2.89 billion. This official budget is in addition to the IRGC’s “unofficial” income streams.https://t.co/8BlHjFiWs0

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 16, 2023

 

“According to Iran’s Statistic Center, the inflation rate in December reached 45%, seeing a one percent increase since November,” the state-run Sharq daily wrote on January 17. On Monday, MP Naser Mousavi Largani acknowledged that due to the severe budget deficit, the inflation might surpass 60%, according to the state-run Shafaqna website on January 23.

The regime’s budget bill for 2023-2024 is devoid of any significant resources. Raisi has raised taxes by 66% in order to generate revenue. According to the regime’s reports, the Iranian people should bear this significant tax increase despite the fact that many of them live far below the poverty line.

 

We face a volatile society in #Iran. Since 2018, there have been eight major uprisings in Iran. Most Iranians live under the poverty line. #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/eydE6v5hVT

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) January 12, 2022

 

Another source of revenue for the 2023-2024 budget is the export of at least a million barrels of oil per day at a rate of $85 per barrel. This is yet another false claim, given that the oil market is still volatile a year after the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine continues. Furthermore, state corruption and international sanctions against Tehran exacerbate the situation.

Raisi’s lies extended beyond his government’s budgetary resources. He concealed the fact that the regime’s security apparatus and institutions overseen by the supreme leader receive the lion’s share of the budget, which is tax-exempt, while the Ministries of Health and Education have pitiful budgets.

Raisi’s budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which begins in March 2023, includes a 131% increase for the IRGC, from approximately $1.24 billion to approximately $2.89 billion. Because the IRGC dominates the country’s economy, it has both official and “unofficial” revenue streams.

 

This is only the official budget; IRGC dominates the economy & provides billions to terrorism and Syria war https://t.co/zhXAjEKjms

— Alireza Jafarzadeh (@A_Jafarzadeh) January 2, 2017

The Iranian uprising is now in its fifth month, posing an existential threat to the regime and shaking its foundation. Ali Khamenei, the regime’s supreme leader, did not choose Raisi as president to address Iran’s economic or social crises. The regime’s main goal is to maintain its rule at any cost, and Raisi and his cabinet lack any meaningful solution to the country’s economic crisis.

 

 

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