The Wall Street Journal reported that approximately three million barrels of stranded Iranian oil in China are being loaded for sale at sea. The report expressed concerns that the revenue from these sales might be used to bolster the Iranian regime’s proxy groups in the region.On Saturday, January 11, the Wall Street Journal cited informed sources saying that after negotiations between Iran and China in late November and December, Beijing finally agreed last month to allow the departure of Iranian oil shipments.According to the Wall Street Journal sources, China had previously not responded positively to Iran’s requests to remove its stranded oil from the country.A few days ago, Reuters reported that Iran’s regime is attempting to release 25 million barrels of its oil, which have been stranded in two Chinese ports for nearly six years.These 25 million barrels of oil were gradually delivered to China by 2018. However, starting in 2019, when the Trump administration canceled waivers related to such transactions, no buyers could be found for the oil, which became stuck in rented storage tanks in Dalian and Zhoushan ports.
According to the Wall Street Journal, two oil tankers, Mid Star and CH Billion, recently headed to Dalian Port to load part of Iran’s oil.The report stated that the Mid Star tanker left this port earlier this month with two million barrels of oil. Meanwhile, the CH Billion tanker is believed to still be at the port, preparing to load 700,000 barrels of oil.According to the report, the Mid Star tanker left the port earlier this month with two million barrels of oil, while the CH Billion tanker is believed to still be at the port, preparing to load 700,000 barrels of oil.Sources from the Wall Street Journal stated that the Mid Star tanker turned off its international signal for three days before arriving at Dalian Port. After loading its cargo, it headed toward South Korean waters to transfer its shipment to another vessel.The Chinese official reiterated that Beijing opposes the “unilateral, illegal, and unreasonable sanctions imposed by the United States.”Iran has turned to complex shipping networks to circumvent sanctions and sell its oil. Even if a Chinese buyer wants to purchase Iran’s stored oil, the cargo must first leave China and have its documentation altered to classify it as non-Iranian oil.The Wall Street Journal reported that the value of Iran’s stranded oil in China currently exceeds $2 billion, but Tehran owes approximately $1 billion in rental fees for storage tanks in two Chinese ports.The Journal, citing informed sources, noted growing concerns about the departure of three million barrels of Iranian oil from Chinese ports and Tehran’s efforts to sell them, allegedly managed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).The report claims that Iran’s regime has allocated the revenue from this action to the IRGC, which is engaged in arming and funding the regime’s proxy groups across the Middle East.Reports indicate that alongside its efforts to continue arming its supported groups in the Middle East, Tehran also provides financial support for rebuilding civilian infrastructure in areas under their control.On Sunday, January 12, the Associated Press reported that Hezbollah, which had funded part of the $2.8 billion reconstruction after the 2006 war, has now begun compensating residents of southern Lebanon with financial assistance from Iran.According to the report’s sources, some families have received payments ranging from $194 to $14,000. Hezbollah has also mobilized 145 reconstruction teams with over 1,250 engineers and hundreds of analysts and accountants, all funded by Iran.
Mojtaba Ghahramani, Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province in southern Iran has provided new details about a fuel theft pipeline in Bandar Abbas, revealing that the illegal pipeline branched off the main fuel transfer line and extended for two kilometers.He stated that the illegal pipeline extracted approximately “70,000 liters” of jet fuel daily from the main line.On January 11, Ghahramani told Iranian state television that inspections of the discovered equipment and evaluations of pipe corrosion and rust indicate that the thieves had been using this pipeline for a long time.The Chief Justice of Hormozgan Province also said on January 11, “The value of the illegal pipeline itself is approximately 40 billion rials, and it appears that the thieves possessed the technical expertise and necessary information.”He added that tests conducted by the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company revealed a shortfall of “over 129,000 liters” in this pipeline over three days.However, he did not explain how such a significant volume of daily fuel theft over an extended period went unnoticed by refinery officials and those overseeing the transfer routes.Iranian regime officials do not address the reasons behind the growing fuel smuggling networks, instead portraying the arrests as a demonstration of the “capabilities” of police and security forces.The low cost of fuel in Iran has always been cited as one of the main reasons for its smuggling.Malek Shariati, a member of the Iranian parliament’s Energy Commission, revealed in a November 2024 television program that oil was being stolen directly from beneath a refinery pipeline in Iran.Without naming the refinery or specifying the duration of the theft, Shariati stated that the refinery officials were “unaware for several years” that a branch had been tapped into the pipeline, allowing oil to be stolen.This is not the first time reports of oil and petroleum product theft have emerged in Iran. Last year, the CEO of the Iranian Oil Pipeline and Telecommunications Company reported a “tenfold increase” in theft due to rising energy prices.In March 2024, state television broadcast footage of a professional team that had dug a tunnel over two years to infiltrate the Tehran Oil Refinery.
Abbas Shahsavani, head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group at Iran’s Health Ministry, announced that based on monitoring a statistical population of 48 million, 30,692 deaths were attributed to air pollution last year.He also stated that the number of visits to public health centers for non-infectious respiratory illnesses has increased by approximately 30% since December 22, 2024.The number of deaths due to air pollution last year increased by 4,385, approximately 17%, compared to the previous year.Previously, Shahsavani reported that an average of 26,307 deaths from air pollution were recorded in 2022, marking an increase of over 26% compared to 2021.Under the law, the Health Ministry is required to examine the health, economic, and mortality impacts of air pollution with the goal of advocacy and effective measures to reduce these deaths. This effort began in 2017.According to the latest Health Ministry review, the economic cost of deaths attributed to air pollution last year was estimated at $12 billion, equivalent to approximately 6 trillion rials.
Tehran Had Only 12 Days of Clean Air in 2024
The head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group at the Health Ministry also noted that the number of days with particulate matter levels below 2.5 microns in Tehran was only 12 days, equivalent to 3% of the past year.Meanwhile, air pollution in Tehran continued for the tenth consecutive day. The air quality in Ahvaz, Mahshahr, and Abadan on Sunday was also classified as unhealthy and in the red category.The air quality in several other Iranian cities, including Zanjan, Ramhormoz, and Shadegan, was deemed unhealthy for sensitive groups.Over the past week, numerous cities in Iran experienced severe air pollution, with hundreds of individuals seeking medical attention for heart and respiratory conditions.In several provinces, schools, universities, and government offices were either closed or shifted to remote operations.
The head of the Air Health and Climate Change Group also mentioned that while the frequency of dust storms in western regions of the country has decreased over the past year, they have intensified in eastern areas, particularly in the city of Zabol.He emphasized that Zabol and Iranshahr are the most polluted cities in the country.According to Shahsavani, the two major cities of Isfahan and Mashhad are also experiencing high concentrations of air pollutants.Sandstorms in Sistan and Baluchestan have intensified in recent years due to the drying up of rivers and wetlands in the region, particularly the Helmand, Hamoun, and Jazmourian wetlands.
According to media reports, the pace of price increases in Iran has intensified in recent weeks, and alongside rising costs, people are also witnessing shortages of essential goods in the market.In this regard, the state-run Hamshahri newspaper reported on Sunday, January 12, that dairy products have once again experienced a price hike in less than three months. The report emphasized that in recent days, dairy products have been supplied to stores and dairies at new prices. While the price increase in January is not as steep as in October, the repeated price hike within just three months is “highly unusual, as dairy prices previously changed on an annual basis.”Ham-Mihan newspaper also reported on January 12 that field studies of markets indicate that some essential goods in the country have faced shortages and price increases in recent days.According to Ham-Mihan, “The rise in the value of the dollar can have a multiple effect. Middlemen may exploit the situation by hoarding goods and engaging in price gouging to maximize their profits.”
The report also noted that rising prices of essential goods could lead to a decline in demand, with the impact being even more severe among low-income groups.The newspaper highlighted a concern long raised by labor activists and health experts.Ham-Mihan wrote in its report: “Studies show that the consumption of essential goods by low-income and even middle-income groups has declined compared to last year, and with rising prices, this decline will become even more noticeable.”This issue has raised concerns, as even according to official statistics—which many experts believe are far from reality—a significant portion of the population consumes far less than the daily required 2,100 kilocalories.The Ham-Mihan report also touched on other aspects of the crisis in the supply and distribution of essential goods, stating: “The increase in the preferential exchange rate could eliminate some domestic producers, increasing the risk of their bankruptcy.”The report’s author examined the current economic crisis from a different perspective, arguing that the rising value of the dollar fuels inflationary expectations among the public. When people anticipate price increases in the near future, they tend to buy and stockpile more goods, which in turn exacerbates price hikes and even leads to shortages of certain items.The point raised by the newspaper is visibly reflected in Iran’s market conditions today. For a long time, cooking oil has experienced both official price increases and rationed distribution. Moreover, the latest official reports indicate that cooking oil imports have decreased by more than 30%, despite the fact that over 90% of the country’s cooking oil supply relies on imports.
Ali-Mohammad Abouei, chairman of the board of the Iranian regime’s Steel Rolling Association, criticized the governance of the Iranian regime and stated that there is a possibility of a complete power outage for industries in the coming days.According to the state-run Eghtesad Online website, Ali-Mohammad Abouei emphasized, “I have no good news for steel industry activists. There are reports from the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and the Ministry of Interior indicating that orders have been issued to completely cut off power to industries.”Abouei, sarcastically pointing out the contradictory behavior of the Minister of Energy, said, “When Mr. Ali-Abadi was Minister of Industry and Mines, he used to say that industrialists could legally sue the Ministry of Energy for damages caused by power outages, and now he himself is the Minister of Energy.”
According to reports, Jahanbakhsh Shokri, head of the House of Industry, Mine, and Trade in Kermanshah, stated, “In the past 10 months, industries, especially steel industries, have operated for less than three months.”Shokri added that the industry is on the verge of bankruptcy, and all industrialists are barely managing to keep going under dire financial strain.The shutdown of industrial gas supplies and the halt in production in Iran have led to widespread protests from industry owners. The restrictions on electricity and gas supply have reached such a critical point that the Tejarat News website reported on December 18, 2024: “The shortage of electricity has created numerous problems for industries. Industrial parks, which in previous years experienced power outages in summer and gas shortages in winter, are now facing both simultaneously. This situation has led to the complete shutdown of these industrial zones, and inside the production halls, no sound is heard except the cawing of crows.”
On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, the 51st week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign witnessed a significant expansion, now encompassing 34 prisons across Iran. This week, the prisons of Talesh, the women’s ward in Adelabad Prison of Shiraz, Borazjan, and Joveyn joined the initiative, marking a notable escalation in participation.Participants in the campaign issued a statement condemning the confirmation of the death sentences for four political prisoners. In their declaration, they stated: “With the intensification of economic, cultural, and political crises, we are witnessing widespread protests across various social groups daily. The ruling oppressors in Iran are well aware that this growing public discontent will soon transform into another wave of mass uprisings, pushing their despotic regime closer to collapse. In a misguided calculation, the regime has resorted to increasing executions to instill greater fear and prevent protests. Since last Tuesday alone, at least 17 individuals have been executed, and over 102 executions have been recorded since the beginning of January.”The statement also highlighted the plight of death row inmates, noting: “Every day, prisoners sentenced to death for non-political crimes are hanged.” It added that political activists inside and outside prisons, along with grieving families, have strongly condemned these inhumane sentences.Members of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign emphasized that abolishing the death penalty is achievable only through solidarity and collective action. They called on all sections of society to join hands in opposing capital punishment and supporting the cause of justice and human rights.The campaigners also released the names of the participating prisons during this significant week. On Tuesday, January 14, 2025, prisoners in these facilities engaged in hunger strikes to voice their opposition to executions. The prisons involved include:– Evin Prison (women’s ward, wards 4 and 8)– Ghezel Hesar Prison (units 3 and 4)– Karaj Central Prison– Greater Tehran Penitentiary– Khorin Prison in Varamin– Arak Prison– Khorramabad Prison– Esfahan Asadabad Prison– Dastgerd Prison in Esfahan– Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz– Shiraz Military Prison– Bam Prison– Kahnuj Prison– Tabas Prison– Mashhad Prison– Qaemshahr Prison– Rasht Prison (men’s and women’s wards)– Roodsar Prison– Ardabil Prison– Tabriz Prison– Urmia Prison– Salmas Prison– Khoy Prison– Naqadeh Prison– Saqqez Prison– Baneh Prison– Marivan Prison– Kamyaran Prison– Haviq Talesh Prison– Adelabad Prison of Shiraz (women’s ward)– Joveyn Prison in Razavi Khorasan– Borazjan Prison in BushehrThe growing participation in this weekly campaign reflects a deepening resistance to the regime’s use of the death penalty as a tool of repression. The calls for justice, unity, and the abolition of capital punishment continue to resonate among both prisoners and the wider Iranian community.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, stated that Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, who had been detained in Italy, has returned to Iran following his release.Abedini Najafabadi was arrested in Italy for violating U.S. sanctions against Iran by transferring drone technology to the country. He was scheduled to be extradited to the United States.On Sunday, January 12, Italy announced that Carlo Nordio, the Minister of Justice, had submitted a request to the Milan Court of Appeals to cancel the detention of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi.Under Italian law, courts are obligated to comply with the Justice Minister’s request.This move by the Italian Ministry of Justice came just four days after the release of Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist detained by the Iranian government.Italian journalist, Cecilia SalaMs. Sala had officially traveled to Iran with a journalist visa and had published reports about recent developments in Iran following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria.Some media outlets, citing a U.S. State Department spokesperson, reported that the detention of the Italian journalist by the Iranian regime was a retaliatory act for the arrest of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi, an Iranian-Swiss citizen, in Italy.The Italian Ministry of Justice stated in a declaration that under Article 2 of the extradition treaty between the United States and Italy, only crimes punishable under the laws of both countries can lead to extradition, and this condition, based on current documents, is not met.The statement further explains that the U.S. accusation against Abedini Najafabadi of criminal conspiracy to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act does not align with any crimes classified under Italian law.Regarding the two other charges—”criminal conspiracy to provide material support resulting in death to a terrorist organization” and “providing or attempting to provide material support resulting in death to a foreign terrorist organization”—the Ministry of Justice stated that no evidence has been presented to substantiate these claims.According to the statement, the existing evidence only indicates that Abedini Najafabadi, through companies he worked with, was responsible for producing and trading “technological tools with potential but not exclusive military applications” with the Iranian government.In recent years, Iranian security forces have detained dozens of foreign and dual nationals, mostly on charges of espionage and security-related offenses.Human rights groups accuse the Iranian regime of “hostage-taking” to gain political leverage over other countries. The Iranian government denies these allegations.
Mehdi Pirsalehi, the head of the Iranian regime’s Food and Drug Administration announced a 30% increase in the price of 370 types of medicine, stating that, compared to the country’s inflation rate, “the absolute figure is not very high.”According to the state-run Tasnim news agency, Pirsalehi also reported shortages of certain types of infant formula in the country. He explained that one reason pharmacies are reluctant to distribute infant formula is the low profit margin and the months-long delay in receiving payments from insurance companies.This Ministry of Health official emphasized that out of approximately 3,800 types of medicine, 370 have increased in price. He noted that some injections that previously cost 60,000 rials have now risen to 190,000 rials (with 1 USD equaling approximately 820,000 rials). Meanwhile, the minimum monthly wage for a worker with two children in Iran is around $135.
Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of the Iranian regime, speaking at a conference of university and medical school presidents, acknowledged the issue but failed to present any solutions for improving healthcare in terms of workforce, medicine, or equipment. He stated, “Experience has shown that part of the foreign currency allocated for importing medicine and its subsidies gets lost. With this distribution method, justice cannot be achieved.”Pezeshkian stressed that it is evident healthcare resources do not reach deprived areas.Meanwhile, experts have increasingly warned of a worsening crisis in the pharmaceutical sector, predicting that medicine shortages will soon become one of the biggest problems for patients.In this regard, Salman Eshaqi, a spokesperson for the Health Commission of the Iranian parliament, warned on December 22, 2024, that the number of critically scarce medicines had reached 116. He urged the government to take action, warning that if no measures were taken, shortages could increase tenfold by the end of the year.Eshaqi stated, “At this rate, medicine shortages will multiply by ten by the end of the year, putting public health at serious risk.”On October 20, 2024, the chairman of the Syndicate of Human Pharmaceutical Industries of Iran warned in a letter to the Minister of Health that the alarm for future medicine shortages had already been sounded. He urged the ministry to separate the budget for medicine and medical equipment from other hospital revenues.Iran’s pharmaceutical industry, like many other industries, suffers from issues such as currency exchange rates, shortages of foreign currency and liquidity, delayed allocation of foreign exchange, numerous domestic and international difficulties in importing raw materials, unpaid debts from the government, and, ultimately, frequent power outages that halt production.
Malek Shariati, a member of the Energy Commission of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament) has reported that Iran’s power plants consume $30 billion worth of fuel annually due to their low efficiency.Malek Shariati told Mehr News Agency on Saturday, January 11, that the efficiency of Iran’s power plants is very low, around 37%, which results in the wastage of a massive amount of fuel.More than 90% of Iran’s electricity is generated from thermal power plants that run on natural gas, fuel oil, diesel, and coal. Last year, Iran’s power plants consumed approximately 84 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 10 billion liters of diesel, 6 billion liters of fuel oil, and some coal.
The market value of this amount of fuel in regional markets exceeds $30 billion.Iran has faced an escalating energy crisis this year, leading the government to impose frequent power outages and shut down offices and schools.On January 5, the regime’s Minister of Energy stated that the country faced a 20,000-megawatt electricity deficit this summer and warned that this figure could rise to 25,000 megawatts next year.Despite efforts over the past two decades, the Iranian regime has failed to successfully upgrade its low-efficiency gas and steam power plants to higher-efficiency combined-cycle plants. Moreover, many of the power plants built in recent years are still low-efficiency gas and steam plants.Currently, combined-cycle power plants account for only 38% of the country’s total electricity generation capacity.
Recommendation to Use Polluting Coal as Fuel
Shariati, without mentioning the potential for developing clean energy sources such as solar and wind power, suggested using coal as an alternative fuel for power plants.Without acknowledging the severe pollution caused by coal consumption, he stated: “Currently, our use of coal is zero. Therefore, we can diversify our power plants to avoid fuel shortages.”Contrary to his claim, Iran’s coal consumption is not zero; in fact, it has doubled in less than a decade.Previously, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the regime’s Majlis, had also promoted the use of highly polluting coal in power plants.Iranian regime officials have remained silent about the rising coal consumption in the country, but data from BP and the International Energy Agency (IEA) indicates that in 2023, Iran generated around 900 gigawatt-hours of electricity by burning coal, which is three times the amount at the beginning of the last decade.Iran currently ranks seventh in the world for greenhouse gas emissions, yet despite this reality, the Iranian regime plans to build over 5,000 megawatts of coal-fired power plant capacity by 2042.
On Friday, January 10, France summoned the Iranian regime’s ambassador in connection with the issue of French nationals who have been taken “hostage” by the Iranian government.The French Foreign Ministry, reiterating its recent warnings about the dangers of French nationals traveling to Iran, described the situation of detained French citizens in Iran as intolerable and stated that, under international law, detention without respecting human dignity constitutes torture.The French Foreign Ministry’s statement referred to these French citizens as hostages of the Iranian government.Cécile Kohler, a French union activist, and her husband Jacques Paris have been imprisoned in Ward 209 of Evin Prison—a section controlled by the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Intelligence—since their arrest in May 2022.
Iranian regime security forces arrested them after they met with several labor activists and teachers, later accusing them of espionage.Another French citizen, identified only by his first name, Olivier, is also imprisoned in Iran by the regime.In recent years, the Iranian regime has arrested dozens of dual-national and foreign citizens, mostly on espionage and security-related charges.In one of the most recent cases, a Swiss citizen who had been imprisoned on espionage charges died on Thursday, January 9. In response, the Swiss government demanded that the Iranian regime provide precise information regarding the reasons for his detention and the circumstances leading to his death in prison.On Friday, January 10, the Swiss Foreign Ministry announced that Iranian authorities had informed the Swiss Embassy in Tehran on December 10 that a 64-year-old Swiss man had been arrested on suspicion of “espionage.”Cecilia Sala, an Italian journalist who was in Iran on a journalist visa, was arrested by the Iranian regime three days after the detention of Mohammad Abedini Najafabadi at Milan Airport on December 15, 2024, on charges of aiding the Iranian regime in circumventing U.S. sanctions.In 2015, coinciding with the nuclear agreement, the Iranian regime exchanged five foreign and dual-national prisoners for Iranian prisoners in the United States.Senior French, British, and German diplomats are scheduled to meet with their Iranian counterparts in Geneva on Monday, January 13, to discuss bilateral issues and the future of nuclear negotiations.Diplomatic sources report that approximately 20 European citizens from 10 different countries are currently incarcerated—and effectively taken hostage—by the Iranian regime.
