New findings from the Iranian Statistical Center indicate that inflation is up 34.9% from last year’s levels. Between October 23^rd and November 22^nd, the average family had to spend 34.9% more than they did last year to buy the same goods.

This also represents an increase in last month’s inflation rate, which was 32.8%.

International observers and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predict that Iran’s rate of inflation will increase by a staggering 40% next year. They both also predicted a sharp increase in unemployment by 13% or 14%.

The predictions align with the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran’s (MEK’s) own reporting, which predicted a “tsunami of poverty” to strike Iran in the latter part of 2018.

Workers’ strikes and farmers’ protests have sounded the death toll for the mullahs who have brought nothing but corruption, destruction and repression to the people of #Iran.#IranProtests #FreeIran2018#IranRegimeChange pic.twitter.com/xfEI4rrsOC

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 24, 2018

Iran’s Economy is Shrinking

The IMF estimates that Iran’s economy will shrink by around 1.5% at the end of 2018, and by 3.6% in 2019. However, the reality could be far worse. The IMF basis its predictions on government figures, many of which are deliberately manipulated to hide the full extent of Iran’s economic woes.

#Iran's annual inflation rate measured for today, 06/01/18, is 78.55%, 10x the official rate. pic.twitter.com/wvKCz2BTmq

— Prof. Steve Hanke (@steve_hanke) June 1, 2018

Steve Hanke, an economist at Johns Hopkins University has called the economic situation in Iran, one “of the worst government-induced inflationary regimes in the world”. Hanke estimates that only Venezuela suffers from a higher rate of inflation.

Worsening Purchasing Power

The economic situation in Iran has gotten so bad that many Labor activists estimate that most workers can only provide 50% of their families’ basic needs.

The strike of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory has continued for the sixth consecutive day and the nationwide strike of truck drivers has entered its tenth day. Hail to the determined strikers.#Iran#IranProtests#IranianTruckersOnStrike

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 10, 2018

The mullahs and their clerical regime have demonstrated virtually no economic acumen or experience. They have not implemented a single economic policy designed to lift Iran’s economic standing. The mullahs’ only response to the deepening poverty gripping the country has been to offer “support packages”.

These packages are small cash boosters provided to people who earn less than 3 million toumans. Given the surging inflation rate, even with these meager offerings, most workers are fighting for their survival.

Alireza Fathi, a board member for the Tehran Islamic Council of Workers said, “workers have been abandoned until the point of an [economic] earthquake when they are forgotten forever”.

There have been reports of many of Iran’s workers resorting to extreme measures when faced with financial ruin. In some regions, workers have sold organs to keep a roof over their heads. Elsewhere, workers are committing suicide due to the stresses induced by living in abstract poverty.

According to a state-run news site, suicides are up by 71% in men and 66% in women on last years figures.

Amin Montazeri, the head of the Crisis Committee of the Labor Council said, “many show their reaction by attempting suicide or lashing out against others”. Drug addiction rates in Iran are also rising alongside the country’s inflation rate as workers turn to narcotics to escape the realities of their existence.

The Regime’s Coverup

Part of the regime’s inability to address Iran’s spiraling economic problems stems from its inability to acknowledge the severity of the situation. The Iranian Statistical Center’s findings now prove beyond any doubt that the mullahs’ claims of keeping inflation under control are blatantly false.

Fathi said, “not only is there no policy to control prices, but also the head of state clearly states that we have no problems”.

Without admitting there is a problem, the regime is condemned to inaction and Iran’s economy is doomed.

Staff Writer

 

 

On Saturday, November 24th, the protests at the Haft Tappeh sugarcane factory and the Ahvaz Steel company reached their 20^th and 15^th days respectively.

Haft Tappeh

The Haft Tappeh workers initiated a walkout and protest almost three weeks ago over unpaid wages, deteriorating working conditions, and the forced privatization of the company. Both the workers and the factory itself are on the brink of bankruptcy, with many reporting being forced to purchase basic essentials on credit from local stores.

After several of their numbers were arrested, the protestors took their chants and slogans to the Shush governor’s building to demand their immediate release. Following intense international scrutiny and domestic public pressure, the regime released 14 of its 19 prisoners, however, four labor representatives and a civil rights activist remain in regime custody.

It is still unclear on what grounds they are being held. The regime has not revealed their charges.

Freedom living #Iranians in #Toronto declare their commitment to voice the message of deprived #Haft_Tappeh,#Ahvaz Steel Workers,Teachers. #IranRegimeChange #IranianNationwideStrike@CdnPress #Cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/VQfn4VdYFy

— IDA – Canada 🇨🇦 (@IDA_Canada) November 24, 2018

Ahvaz Steel Company

Meanwhile, in Ahvaz, the workers at the Ahvaz Steel Company were facing down regime officials as well. They too have suffered economically due to unpaid salaries.

November 20
Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
National Steel Group employees, demanding delayed paychecks & release of detained colleagues.

Chants:
"We steel workers, we stand against cruelty & oppression"
"Proud Ahvazis, support, support"
"Let go of Syria, think about us"#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/QtCjXDFJHi

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 20, 2018

After the workers took their demonstration to the Khuzestan governate, regime officials opened channels of negotiations with the workers. However, they would not be fed lies and false hope. They made it clear they would not end the protest until they saw evidence of concrete actions designed to improve their working conditions and alleviate their financial hardship.

Rising Anti-Regime Sentiment

Like many other protests in recent years, including among Iran’s truck drivers and teachers, the strikes took a decidedly anti-regime tone.

In Shush, protestors from Haft Tappeh chanted “imprisoned workers must be freed”. In Ahvaz, the workers chanted “we will fight against tyranny”. These chants are significant as it shows a break with protests in the past, which have focused on specific demands and grievances.

While both protests are seeking a resolution from the regime to pay out their unpaid wages, they are also both part of a wider Iranian movement calling for the regime to be held accountable for its tyrannical and financial ruinous policies that have plunged Iran into an economic freefall.

As the world marks #WorldChildrensDay, this child's sign is very telling in the middle of Haft Tapeh sugar cane mill employees' protests:

"Daddy didn't give water"
"Daddy didn't give bread"
"Daddy doesn't have a paycheck" pic.twitter.com/mpwxalsCIh

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 20, 2018

Government mismanagement and corruption has increasingly taken center-stage at protests since the nationwide protests in December and January, in which the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) played a major role.

In Shush, the workers at Haft Tappeh called on their fellow citizens to rise up and join them, a sentiment echoed by the leader of Iran opposition, the President-elect Maryam Rajavi. Some days, the workers were joined by merchants, teachers, taxi drivers, and local residents. A feeling of solidarity is beginning to emerge as local residents provide the workers with meals and taxi drivers are providing free rides.

In Ahvaz, a similar situation is emerging. The people know that their grievances cannot be resolved under this corrupt and greedy regime. Their wages will remain unpaid. The mullahs and their cronies will only get richer, while the rest of Iran struggles to stay afloat.

It is clear, regime change is the only option remaining, a fact that is increasingly dawning on both the Iranian public and the regime itself. History is in the making in Ahvaz and Shush. The mullahs will no doubt try to contain the situation. It is up to the rest of Iran to ensure that their voices and their protests will not be contained. They will be heard and their grievances will be addressed.

Staff Writer

Clients of the Caspian Credit Institution protested once again on Monday and demanded the return of their savings. The protesters gathered in front of the office of the judiciary in Rasht, northern Iran and chanted, “Caspian committed theft with the government’s support!” and “The money you hold is everything we have!”

Protesters at the rally said they were there because the government-backed institution destroyed their lives. They blamed government officials for lying to them for two years and for making promises they could not keep. The MEK network shared videos on social media of the protest.

November 19
Tehran, #Iran
Clients of the Caspian credit firm (linked to the IRGC) demanding their stolen savings be returned.

Chants:
"Caspian has stolen, the government has supported"
"Caspian clients have heard lies for two years"#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/qKV4sj7zyK

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 19, 2018

The Caspian Credit Institution, which is affiliated with the IRGC, is recognized and authorized as a financial institution by the Central Bank of Iran. Thousands of Iranians deposited their savings into the Caspian Credit Institution, only to lose all of their investments when the institution filed for bankruptcy last year.

Meanwhile in Mashhad, customers of another financial institution—Badr Toos—protested the looting of their savings. Badr Toos also has ties to the IRGC. The protesters in Mashhad demanded the return of their deposits.

Caspian and Badr Toos are among several credit institutions with ties to the regime that have looted the savings accounts of Iranian citizens. This looting has been catastrophic for Iran’s middle-class, but regime officials and people affiliated with them have profited from the theft.

Protests by looted credit institution customers have become common in Iran over the past year. Protesters demonstrate despite the threat of violence by suppressive forces. As the Resistance Movement has grown, the Iranian people have become more willing to protest in spite of the regime’s brutality and repressive measures.

Staff Writer

 

Strikes continued across Iran on Thursday, with additional workers joining the nationwide movement, reports the MEK sources inside Iran. Factory workers, steelworkers, and merchants are now all part of the growing strike movement.

Bazaar Owners’ Strike

In Tabriz, in northwest Iran, bazaar owners went on strike on Wednesday in protest of rising prices, scarcity of goods, and a decrease in customers. MEK sources inside Iran reported that shops near Sa’at Square and Taleghani Avenue were closed. Shop owners in other cities reportedly joined the strike and closed their shops as well.

A report on store-owners going on strike in Tabriz, northwest #Iran, and protests across the country.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/DKn6bgb7AF

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 15, 2018

Factory Workers’ Strike

On Thursday, factory workers from the Haft Tappeh Sugar Mill Company in Shush continued their strike for the eleventh consecutive day. The workers rallied outside of the governor’s office in Shush, chanting, “Death to oppressors, hail to workers!” and “Shush locals, support us!”

The factory workers are striking because they have not been paid for four months and to protest the privatization of the Haft Tappeh Sugar Mill Company.

The striking factory workers also expressed solidarity with the Ahvaz steel workers, who have been striking for seven consecutive days. They chanted, “Proud steel workers, thank you, thank you!”

Steel Workers’ Strike

Ahvaz Steel Factory workers rallied on the streets of Ahvaz on Wednesday to demand better working conditions and their unpaid wages. The steel workers marched to the governor’s office and blocked the surrounding streets. In videos posted on social media by the MEK network, the steel workers can be heard chanting, “We will not leave from here, until we receive our rights!”

“No nation has seen this much injustice!”

“Workers of Khuzestan, unite, unite!”

Support for the Strikes

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) previously released a statement supporting the strikes. The statement read: “Workers of the Ahvaz National Steel Group also protested on Saturday, gathering in front of the governor’s office in the city. They chanted: No nation has seen this much injustice; Hossein Hossein, is their slogan, theft is their pride; what did behind the scene hands have done with the factory?”

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, has been vocal in her support of the nationwide strike movement, recently tweeting in support of the striking steel workers and factory workers:

Hail to the deprived workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory and Steel Factory of #Ahvaz who have risen up to demand their rights, calling for expansion of the protests by the slogan of “Workers of Khuzestan, unite, unite.”#IranProtests #IranRegimeChange #FreeIran2018

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 14, 2018

“Hail to the deprived workers of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory and Steel Factory of #Ahvaz who have risen up to demand their rights, calling for an expansion of the protests by the slogan of ‘Workers of Khuzestan, unite, unite.’”

Mrs. Rajavi reiterated her support of the continuing strikes in another tweet: “Workers’ unity and perseverance against the mullahs’ oppressive rule herald a free, prosperous #Iran devoid of all forms of repression and discrimination.”

November 15
Shush, southwest #Iran
Haft Tappeh sugar mill employees are rallying on this 11th day of their ongoing strike.

"Death to liars"#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/ZvOWXUcsJ5

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 15, 2018

The Ahvaz steel workers have been forced to strike three times this year for unpaid wages and better working conditions. During the June strikes, more than 50 striking workers were arrested and four were beaten while being transferred to jail.

In June, the Free Workers Union of Iran commented on the brutal beatings, saying, “One of the workers was beaten to the extent that he suffered a haemorrhage, but the authorities did not make an effort to transfer him to a medical facility.”

Staff Writer

Despite more 80% of Iranians living below the international poverty line, the mullahs and their state-run media outlets published a list of Iranian institutions which are exempt from paying income tax.

The list featured mostly national religious organizations, many of which are under the direct control of the Supreme Leader Khomenei. The Mostazafan Foundation, the Execution of Imam Khamenei’s Order (Setad), the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs (Bonyade Shahid), the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation (Komiteye Imdad), the Sazman-e Tablighat-e Eslami (Islamic Propagation Organisation), the Office of Islamic Propagation of the Qom Seminary, the Bonyad Maskan of the Islamic Revolution (Housing Foundation), the Seminary Services Center, the Islamic Revolution Cultural Research Institute, and the Al-Mustafa International University in Qom all made the list.

Corrupt Opulence as Iranians Struggle for Survival

The economic situation for the Iranian population is dire. By every international measurement, the Iranian economy is failing.

GDP will fall by an estimated 0.8% this year. Inflation is currently at an estimated 260% and unemployment has reached double digits (a reported one-third of college-educated Iranian men and half of the Iranian women under 30 are unemployed).

In such desperate economic circumstances, the regime’s spending on these institutions is deplorable. Seven of the tax-exempt religious institutions received a budget of around 7,000 billion tomans from the regime’s coiffures this year. The Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation alone received a budget of 4,800 billion.

The list reveals the widespread institutionalized corruption which is emblematic of the clerical regime. While ordinary Iranians struggle to put food on the table because of arbitrary fees, tolls, and taxes introduced by regime officials, the regime’s affiliates receive a steady stream of tax-free, public funding.

A Reuter’s investigation into Khamenei’s Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order Foundation, also known as Setad, found the conglomerate held extensive real estate assets, making it a multi-billion dollar organization.

4% of the Population holds Half of All Iran’s Wealth

Through religious organizations like those listed in the report, Khamenei and his allies are able to funnel public funds into their pockets through shell religious institutions. It is through these practices that the rich in Iran get richer while the poor get poorer.

Economist Ibrahim Zaraghi estimated that the wealthiest 4% of the population now holds the same wealth as the remaining 96% of Iranians combined. “You can see how fast the four percent have made the rest of the population poor”, he said.

Several in the Iranian Parliament have spoken out against the corruption and nepotism that has forced 10% of Iranians into conditions of absolute poverty. Hedayatollah Khademi criticized the mullahs’ mismanagement of the economy.

He said, “you have made the Iranian people miserable. You have taken away their respect and confidence. They don’t know what to do due to poverty and desperation. They have turned to sell their organs including their kidneys due to poverty.”

The mullahs are draining the Iranian finances. What doesn’t go directly into their pockets through religious institutions is funneled abroad to Hezbollah, militias in Syria and Yemen, and Hamas in Palestine. The regime also spends a staggering $25-$30 billion on developing missiles and advancing its nuclear ambitions.

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) quoting a member of the regime’s parliament had recently reported: “Plunging oil prices will trigger inflation and a mounting budget deficit for the Iranian regime.”

The Iranian economy will continue to flop while the mullahs have free-reign to plunder Iran’s institutions and funnel public finances into their pockets. The only way to improve the economic standing of the Iranian population is through regime change. This list only reiterates that.

The mullahs will not willingly relinquish their grip on the Iranian economy. The take back what is theirs, the Iranian people must do it themselves.

Staff Writer

 

 

The economic situation in Iran has reached a critical stage, which some economists have dubbed a “super crisis.” The economy has steadily worsened under the mullahs’ rule, but the regime and its surrogates have long downplayed the problems facing the country. Over the past year, though, a series of crises have snowballed into a catastrophe that can no longer be ignored.

#Iran’s crumbling economy cannot be saved unless by toppling the regime.
Expanding the protests to bring down the corrupt regime of theft and destruction is the only solution.#IranSanctions #IranRegimeChange #FreeIran2018 pic.twitter.com/oAQLa2Fj8V

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 7, 2018

Unemployment and Unpaid Wages

Recently, the state-run ILNA news agency published a report about the economic crisis facing Iran and its effect on the country’s workers, many of whom have lost their jobs or have not received wages from their jobs for months.

In an interview as part of the ILNA report, trade union member Maziar Gilani Nejad said, “At present, sectors including industry, agriculture, animal husbandry and fruit farming have experienced an unprecedented stagnation. More than 60% of industrial workshops have been completely shut down, or their production capacities have been reduced to less than half.”

“In agriculture and animal farming, the situation is the same,” Nejad  went on to say. “The recurring demonstrations of Isfahan farmers in protest to water scarcity and unemployment is proof of this claim.”

MEK Network-Continued Water Shortages Lead to More Protests in Iran

In Isfahan, farmers who were once wealthy has been forced into poverty as a result of the regime’s failed policies and corruption. Farmers in the region have protested repeatedly over the past year over the lack of access to water and the economic crisis.

Regime’s Incompetence Forces Once Prosperous Isfahan Farmers into Poverty

Nejad also referenced the HEPCO workers who were recently flogged and given prison sentences for participating in protests. “How can workers who have not been paid for months continue to work?” he asked.

The trade union member went on to ask, “How can they manage their day to day life? How can they ask these workers to stay silent and not demand their wages which is their inalienable right?”

Nejad finished the interview by summing up the problem that faces many of Iran’s workers: “We should not forget that the economic situation is such that even if the employer pays the workers’ wages every month, the households still do not have enough to provide their livelihood, so imagine the situation of workers who have not received their salaries for months.”

It is telling that even state-run media now routinely acknowledges that the widespread protests taking place across Iran are happening because of valid frustrations with the regime. State-run media has also repeatedly acknowledged the MEK’s influence over the protest movement and its threat to the ruling regime.

Hyperinflation

Despite regime President Rouhani’s statements to the contrary, Iran is currently suffering from hyperinflation. According to the International Monetary Fund’s  (IMF) most recent report, Iran’s inflation rate is at least 30%.

In a November 3rd report on ILNA, economist and university professor Morteza Afghah said that “Iran’s economy was turning into a disaster.”
““We should consider the current situation as hyperinflation, and we should have a worse-than-expected forecast if economic variables and our foreign relations do not change. Given the sharp fall of the number of people below the line of poverty, especially those belonging to the working class, this indicates the presence of hyperinflation,” Afghah said.
“In addition to workers, employees who had a better livelihood, like teachers and nurses, are also falling below the poverty line,” he added.
Afghah admitted that the regime had no solution for the crisis facing Iran. It is worth noting that the MEK has gained popularity in large part because it offers a viable alternative to the mullahs’ regime and a democratic solution to the many crises facing Iran.

Corruption

State-run website have tentatively broached the subject of the regime’s corruption, sometimes writing in-depth reports of corruption by regime officials, although they have to tread lightly when discussing or quoting those within the regime.

Seyed Reza Akrami, a member of the Combatant Clergy Association, told ILNA that the regime was hoarding its assets.

“Do not put your capital in the safe and the hidden places and bring it to industry, industrial workshops, and farms and use it for domestic production. (If you do) we will surely see the rise of employment and production and reduced dependence on the outside,” Akrami said.

In reference to the economic harm arising from regime corruption, Akrami, a former cleric and member of the regime Parliament, said, “There are many things that cannot be said.”

“I shouldn’t express everything that goes on in my mind. Some things cannot be said because those listening might not be able to handle it or it could be considered giving information to the enemy.”

Staff Writer

Tehran’s merchants are striking, as are the Iranian farmers and truck drivers as yet more protests threaten to engulf the country, based on reports from the MEK network inside Iran.

On Monday, November 5th, merchants in several Iranian cities closed their stalls in local bazaars. The strikes, which coincided with the reintroduction of strict US sanctions, were organized across social media and quickly gained traction.

A recent report on latest protests & strikes across #Iran.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/Oxaqc9dH9k

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 7, 2018

Skyrocketing prices and crippling inflation have thrown many of Iran’s merchants into poverty. With new sanctions affecting Iranian imports and exports, the situation is set to worsen.

November 6
Mashhad, northeast #Iran
Most stores are closed in the city's Sarshour bazaar as strikes spread across the country.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/CCx22RZoeS

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

For the nation’s truck drivers, the working conditions are not much better. The sector shut down for the fourth time on the 31st of October and is yet to restart. Drivers from Tehran, Isfahan, Hormozgan, Zanjan, Golestan, Kermanshah, Kerman, West Azerbaijan, Central, Khorasan Razavi, and Yazd all turned off their engines in protest at the rising cost of spare parts, corruption, and appalling working conditions that have left many of them in a fight for their survival.

For Iran’s farmers, there is a similar picture of abstract poverty and a struggle to put food on the table. This has prompted many brave farmers from provinces across the country, including Isfahan a Khorasgan, to stage a sit-in and protest.

Unparalleled Bravery

The strikers are demonstrating their bravery and determination by maintaining these protests against the bloody and violent regime.

For the truck drivers, many of their colleagues and friends were arrested in the previous rounds of strikes. More than 200 drivers were detained in the third round of strikes that took place earlier this year. The regime then threatened to execute 17 of those detained.

The strikers that took to the streets in this latest round of protests are also demanding the immediate release of their colleagues.

The regime’s treatment of the truck drivers has not been atypical. The mullahs frequently employ repressive and heavy-handed strategies for dealing with public protest and political dissent.

The farmers and merchants, along with the valiant truck drivers, are aware of the danger they are in, yet they continue to risk their liberty and their lives to protest the regime and its policies.

A Call for Support

Their determination has not gone unnoticed by the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) and the President-elect of the Iranian resistance, Maryam Rajavi.

Nationwide uprisings against the mullahs’ regime are expanding. Hail to the merchants and shop owners of Bazaar, the truckers, the teachers, and freedom-loving students and youth who have shaken the pillars of mullahs’ oppressive rule with their protests and strikes.#Iran

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 6, 2018

Ms. Rajavi saluted the striking truck drivers, farmers, and merchants in a statement to the Iranian people. She called on Iran’s youth to stand with these brave men and women and said that supporting the full restitution of the rights of the Iranian people was a matter of patriotic duty.

Maryam Rajavi also called on the international community to lend their support. She urged syndicates, trade unions, and human rights organizations to lend assistance to Iran’s farmers, truck drivers and merchants in whatever capacity they could.

Staff Writer

Bazaar merchants in Iran went on strike on Monday in several cities. The strikes were timed to take place on the day that the final phase of U.S. sanctions took effect.

The planned strike took place after a call to action on social media. The bazaar merchants went on strike to protest skyrocketing prices and inflation.

The MEK network posted images on social media of closed shops in Tabriz in northwest Iran and Mashhad in northeast Iran. A video posted by the MEK shows that striking merchants have closed shops in Tehran’s rug market despite threats from authorities. Owners of home appliance stores in Tehran were also on strike. In Babol in northern Iran, merchants in the Rezvanshahr market were on strike. In Gorgan in northern Iran, all of the shops were closed in the Aftab Mall, which is the largest mall in the city. Merchants in Tabriz in northeastern Iran also closed their shops and went on strike.

November 6
Tabriz, northwest #Iran
Store-owners are on strike & joining the nationwide movement.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/SniuO38M3v

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

November 6
Mashhad, northeast #Iran
Most stores are closed in the city's Sarshour bazaar as strikes spread across the country.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/CCx22RZoeS

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

November 6 – Tehran, #Iran
Parts of the rug market on strike despite authorities resorting to threats.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/HwOntKewMK

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

Sources indicate that the strikes had now spread to Roudsar in northern Iran and Saqez and Baneh in western Iran.

The merchants went on strike last on October 8th. That round of strikes spread to over 50 cities in 21 provinces.

Truck Drivers’ Strikes Continue for the Sixth Day

Meanwhile, the fourth round of nationwide truck drivers’ strikes reached its sixth day on Tuesday. The most recent round of strikes began on November 1st after a call went out on social media urging the drivers to park their truck and strike. The truckers are protesting low pay and high prices for spare parts and replacement tires. They are also demanding the release of their colleagues who were arrested during the last round of strikes.

The MEK shared a number of videos of trucks parked in loading terminals as truckers joined the strike and refused to load cargo.

November 6
Tehran, #Iran
7 am local time
Capital beltway
No trucks seen as truckers continue their nationwide strike, demanding the release of their colleagues & protesting skyrocketing prices.#IranianTruckersOnStrike pic.twitter.com/jvileuWXw7

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

November 6
Gorgan, northern #Iran
City beltway
Video shows scenes of the sixth consecutive day Iran's truckers are on a nationwide strike, leaving roads empty of all trucks.#IranianTruckersOnStrike pic.twitter.com/4SLQo3r3sE

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

The state-run ILNA news agency reported on the strike on November 4th, writing: “Lack of truck tires, the emergence of the black market and dealers, and price instability have been some of the problems that the automotive market has faced in recent months.

“Truckers and heavy vehicle drivers are the first to suffer from this issue. All of this has led to the economic downturn and less food on the table for the people and as a result, some truckers have bought government tires and sold them in the free market, which has implications such as the use of worn-out tires and consequently, increased crash rates.”

Despite four rounds of strikes, Iran’s truck drivers have not been able to achieve their goals. During the last round of strikes, regime authorities arrested over 200 striking drivers and threatened to execute 17 of the arrested truckers. The arrests and threats of execution drew international condemnation from labor unions, including the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)
and the Teamsters, who both wrote statements supporting the truck drivers and condemning the regime’s actions.

Staff Writer

 

 

On Saturday, November 3rd, Iran Human Rights Monitor published its monthly report of human rights violations taking place across Iran.

The report showcased the regime’s “dismal report card”, which featured 22 executions, among them a woman executed for a crime she allegedly committed aged 17.

Iran Human Rights Monitor, Monthly Report – October 2018 #Iran #HumanRights @IranHRM https://t.co/vIlRv4nybr

— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) November 3, 2018

The Persecution of the Iranian People

Iran Human Rights Monitor’s report indicated that the regime has continued its crackdown on the Ahvazi Arab population in Khuzestan province. Regime agents made numerous arrests in the month of October. Reports from MEK network inside Iran indicate that women and children were among those arrested.

Following October’s truck drivers’ strike, the regime arrested large numbers of protesting truck drivers across Iran’s provinces.

The nation’s environmental activists have also been the target of a sustained and bloody crackdown. In October, eight prominent activists were detained on charges of “sowing corruption on earth”. If convicted, the eight could face execution.

The regime has also targeted activists in more nefarious ways. Farshid Hakki was murdered near his home on October 17^th.

Iran Human Rights Monitor called on the Iranian regime to release the activists unless it can “produce evidence to justify the charges against them and guarantee a fair trial”.

A String of Executions

The regime executed 22 Iranians in October. One of the most alarming cases was that of Zeinab Sekaanvand. She was hanged in Urmieh central prison in West Azerbaijan province for murdering her husband.

Sekaanvand was forced to marry her abusive husband aged just 15. She killed him in 2012, at aged 17. She was detained and tortured into providing a full confession. On October 2^nd, she was hanged for her crime, aged 24.

The case drew criticism from international human rights organisations. Amnesty International’s Middle East Research and Advocacy Director, Phillip Luther, said, “her execution is profoundly unjust”, adding, “the fact that her death sentence followed a grossly unfair trial makes her execution more outrageous.”

Sekaanvand sought help several times from the authorities after her husband became violent. She also asserted that her brother-in-law had repeatedly raped her. Luther said, “instead of investigating these allegations… the authorities consistently ignored her and failed to provide her with any support as a victim of domestic and sexual violence”.

Brutal Punishments

In October, Iran Human Rights Monitor recorded 60 cases of flogging, including 15 workers at the HEPCO manufacturing company who received lashing sentences and jail time for striking over their unpaid wages. Among the 15 were labour representatives engaged in negotiations with their employers.

#Iran security forces have violently attacked two female Azerbaijani activists, Hakimeh Ahmadi and Nasim Sadeqi in an attempt to extract false confessions, leaving one in the hospital with broken teeth and injured fingers.@UNHumanRights @hrw @AmnestyIran pic.twitter.com/KTNeqPD2Xf

— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) November 3, 2018

A graduate student named Pedram Pazireh received 74 lashings and a 7-year prison sentence for organising a ceremony to mark the country’s National Student Day.

A court in Arak also handed out lashings to 11 people arrested during the December and January protests. They faced a litany of charges including “disrupting the public order and peace by taking part in illegal rallies”.

Politically Motivated Arrests

Iran Human Rights Monitor recorded 543 politically motivated arrests across Iran in the month of October. There were also 11 arrests made on the religious and ethnic basis.

Many of these ethnic arrests were made against the Ahwazi Arab minority in Khuzestan following the attack on a military parade in Ahvaz. Amnesty International questioned the timing of the arrests and accused the regime of using the attack as an excuse to repress the Ahwazi population.

Iranian teacher and trade unionists, currently imprisoned in #Iran solely for exercising their #HumanRights
Mohammad Habibi
Esmail Abdi
Mahmoud Beheshti Langroudi
Hashem Khastar
Abdolreza Ghanbari pic.twitter.com/rnU16VgVlV

— IRAN HRM (@IranHrm) November 3, 2018

The regime also abducted and imprisoned Hashem Khastar, a leading advocate for teachers’ rights. Khastar disappeared from his family’s farm in north-eastern Iran. He was taken to a psychiatric hospital in Mashad, despite having no history of mental illness. His family has not been permitted to see him.

Khastar was not the only teachers’ advocate to face the regime’s repression. Four teachers were also arrested over their participation in a two-day sit-in protest. The head of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA) secretariat, Mohammad Reza Ramezanzadeh, was also arrested following the protest.

Several other ITTA members were also arrested in Mashhad and Aligoudarz. Teachers across several Iranian cities were protesting poor living and working conditions.

Poor Prison Conditions

Iran Human Rights Monitor reported over 70 political prisoners went on hunger strike at Urmia prison following a brutal attack on inmates from the prison’s guards.

Prison guards beat inmates in ward 12, the ward which houses the regime’s political prisoners.

Elsewhere, prisoners who have been on hunger strike are suffering deteriorating health. Farhad Meysami went on hunger strike on August 1^st. The women’s rights defender detained in Evin Prison has reportedly lost 18 kilograms despite being force-fed intravenously.

Prisoners housed in the women’s section of Evin Prison were denied their visiting rights. Three female political prisoners, Golrokh Iraee, Atena Daemi, and Maryam Akbari Monfared were unable to receive visitors for three weeks.

The regime agents reported that the visitation rights were withheld following a verbal altercation between the women and several prison guards. The women allegedly chanted protest slogans in the visitation hall.

The report shines further light on the appalling conduct and behavior of the regime’s agents. It underscores the extent that the regime is carrying out a systematic and brutal campaign of repression against the Iranian population.

Staff Writer

 

 

Iran’s economy is starting to see the effects of U.S. sanctions, which began their first phase in August and are due to be fully reimposed next Monday, November 5th. An article published on ncr-iran.org on Thursday explains how the Iranian economy has been weakened by decades of corruption and mismanagement by the mullahs and why the regime is ill-equipped to address the snowballing economic crises now facing the country.

The mullahs' in #Iran have ruined the country's economy and the people are suffering as a result.https://t.co/XtOZ32HLkx

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 2, 2018

The economic climate in Iran was already unstable when the nationwide uprising, led by the MEK, began last December. The widespread protests and strikes, which continue today on a daily basis in cities across the country, have further weakened the economy. The addition of the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal in May was catastrophic. By every metric, the Iranian economy is failing. The NCRI article broke down Iran’s financial crisis in terms of numbers. Below is a summary of the data.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP)

The regime’s Parliament’s Research Center predicts a 0.8% drop in Iran’s GDP this fiscal year and a 2.5% drop next year. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicts a steeper decline, estimating a drop of 1.5% this year and 3.6% next.

Inflation

According to the Statistical Center of Iran, the inflation rate for the month of September alone was 5.4%. According to the Central Bank, the rate was 6.1%.

Exchange Rate

The regime artificially set the exchange rate at 42,000 rials per U.S. dollar in April, but the global exchange rate reached 200,000 rials per U.S. dollar in October. It is widely speculated that the volatile risk will plunge again, driving up prices for the already struggling Iranian people.

Unemployment

Iran has a double-digit unemployment rate, which is troubling, but the employment situation is much worse for those with college degrees, particularly young people. According to estimates, one-third of Iranian men and one-half of Iranian women under 30 with college degrees are jobless.

Housing Market

People are hesitant to buy property in an unstable economy. Prices are high, and home values could plummet at any time.

Exports

Exports are up immediately preceding the U.S. deadline for the reimposition of oil sanctions, but these are expected to fall dramatically next week.

The Iranian regime has not proposed a plan to address the economic cataclysm facing the nation. Its solutions are either patently ridiculous (banning the export of tomatoes) or actively harmful. Artificially setting the exchange rate did nothing to help the economy, but it did allow the IRGC to exploit the difference in the artificial rate and the global rate to profit off imports and exports.

The clerical regime has ravaged #Iran's economy by its missile and nuclear projects, warmongering and terrorism.#IranRegimeChange

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 30, 2018

While the people of Iran suffer from the consequences of the mullahs’ corruption and mismanagement, the regime continues to bungle every attempt at handling their self-made crisis and profits from their own incompetence.

The economy will not recover as long as the mullahs are in charge.

Staff Writer