Iranian Retired Teachers Protest in Front of the Ministry of Education
A group of retired teachers held a protest on Sunday, November 10, in front of the Ministry of Education building in Tehran, demanding attention to their unmet needs. Coming from various cities, they expressed dissatisfaction with the non-payment of 60% of the bonuses promised for their 30 years of service.
At the protest, retired educators chanted slogans such as, “Incompetent minister, resign, resign,” “This much injustice, no nation has seen,” “One less embezzlement would solve our problems,” “Teachers, shout out, demand your rights,” “Teachers, rise up, end the discrimination,” “Enough, enough, of this oppression,” and “Lying officials, where are the fruits of my labor?”
One protest participant addressed Education Minister Alireza Kazemi from President Pezeshkian’s administration, saying, “Mr. Minister, your duty is education. When our officials have nothing to offer, they bring up prayer and ritual matters. In his first speech, the minister expressed concern about students’ prayers. Mr. Minister, your responsibility is education.”
Images shared on social media reveal that some retired teachers who traveled from other cities slept in parks in Tehran the night before, braving the cold to participate in the protest.
According to reports in media outlets covering retirees and teachers, this protest is expected to continue on Monday, November 11, in front of the Ministry of Education building in Tehran.
These retired educators, who have been retired for over one or two years, have yet to receive their end-of-service bonuses or see the promised adjustments from the grading reform implemented.
In October, Alireza Kazemi, the Minister of Education in Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, stated that the upcoming budget would include 50% of the retirement bonuses for teachers this year and next year to bring payments up to date.
This is not the first time retired teachers have held a protest.
On October 22, retired teachers from across Iran also protested in front of the Social Security Organization in Tehran.
Despite promises from the Iranian regime, the living conditions for retirees in Iran continue to deteriorate day by day.
Trump’s Plan to Address Iran’s Nuclear Threat
Reuters has reported on the growing nuclear threats from Iran, Russia, China, and North Korea, challenges that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will face when he takes office in January.
The report notes the possibility that Iran may decide to pursue nuclear weapons and mentions that, following a retaliatory strike by Israel, a senior Iranian official said Tehran might reconsider its self-imposed ban on developing nuclear weapons.
Kamal Kharazi, head of Iran’s Strategic Council on Foreign Relations, stated in this regard: “If Iran’s existence is threatened, we will be forced to change our nuclear doctrine.”
Reuters adds that when the United Nations Security Council resolution allowing the rapid reimposition of international sanctions against Iran expires the U.S. and its European allies will lose their remaining options on the matter.
In 2018, Donald Trump withdrew the U.S. from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which analysts say led Iran to violate its nuclear commitments.
Under that agreement, Tehran had restricted uranium enrichment, an activity seen by the West as a covert effort to develop nuclear weapons capabilities.
American officials state that the time required for Iran to produce enough enriched uranium for a warhead has now decreased from one year to a few weeks or even days, though it would still take Iran longer to develop an actual bomb.
In a confidential report on August 29, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that Iran had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium to levels “close to weapons-grade,” in defiance of international demands.
Experts say that increasing the enrichment of uranium from 60% purity to weapons-grade 90% requires only “a short technical step.”
On November 5, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump stated at a campaign rally that he wants Iran to be “a very successful country” but “cannot allow it to have nuclear weapons.”
The next day, Rafael Grossi, the director general of the IAEA, said he might travel to Tehran in the coming days to discuss Iran’s nuclear program.
He also added that he hopes to work with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to address Iran’s nuclear challenge.
U.S. Department of Justice: IRGC Ordered an Agent to Assassinate Trump Before Election
On November 8, the U.S. Department of Justice released a statement providing further details on the Iranian regime’s efforts to assassinate U.S. President-elect Donald Trump before the November 5 election.
According to the statement, a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court indicates that an unnamed official in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) instructed an operative, identified as Farhad Shakeri, in September to devise a plan to monitor and ultimately assassinate Trump.
The Department of Justice stated that the IRGC official informed Shakeri that if he could not carry out the assassination before the election, the plot would be postponed until after the election, as Trump was expected to lose, which would make it easier to assassinate him.
The statement mentions that Shakeri had previously informed the FBI that he did not intend to submit an assassination plan within the seven-day deadline imposed by the IRGC official.
The U.S. government had earlier confirmed that the Iranian regime sought revenge for the death of Qassem Soleimani, the former commander of the IRGC’s Quds Force, by targeting Donald Trump and several members of his first administration, including Mike Pompeo, Brian Hook, and John Bolton.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Farhad Shakeri, a 51-year-old Iranian, Carlisle Rivera (known as “Pop”), a 49-year-old from Brooklyn, New York, and Jonathon Loadholt, a 36-year-old from Staten Island, New York, were charged on Friday for involvement in a plot to assassinate an Iranian-American citizen in New York.
Rivera and Loadholt were arrested on Thursday, November 7, and appeared in the Southern District of New York court. They will remain in custody until trial, while Farhad Shakeri remains at large, likely residing in Iran.
U.S. Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said:“There are few actors in the world that pose as grave a threat to the national security of the United States as does Iran. The Justice Department has charged an asset of the Iranian regime who was tasked by the regime to direct a network of criminal associates to further Iran’s assassination plots against its targets, including President-elect Donald Trump. We have also charged and arrested two individuals who we allege were recruited as part of that network to silence and kill, on U.S. soil, an American journalist who has been a prominent critic of the regime. We will not stand for the Iranian regime’s attempts to endanger the American people and America’s national security.”
Christopher Wray, FBI Director, also commented: “The charges announced today expose Iran’s continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a designated foreign terrorist organization — has been conspiring with criminals and hitmen to target and gun down Americans on U.S. soil, and that simply won’t be tolerated. Thanks to the hard work of the FBI, their deadly schemes were disrupted. We’re committed to using the full resources of the FBI to protect our citizens from Iran or any other adversary who targets Americans.”
Damian Williams, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, added: “Actors directed by the Government of Iran continue to target our citizens, including President-elect Trump, on U.S. soil and abroad. This has to stop. Today’s charges are another message to those who continue in their efforts – we will remain unrelenting in our pursuit of bad actors, no matter where they reside, and will stop at nothing to bring to justice those who harm our safety and security. I want to thank the career prosecutors of this office and our law enforcement partners for their ongoing work in this and related investigations. They are truly the best of the best and work tirelessly to keep our country safe.”
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Shakeri, an IRGC agent residing in Tehran, migrated to the United States as a child and was deported around 2008 after serving a 14-year sentence for theft.
The DOJ statement adds that in recent months, Shakeri leveraged a network of criminals he met in U.S. prisons to recruit individuals for the IRGC’s espionage and assassination operations.
Shakeri informed law enforcement officers that on October 7, 2024, he was ordered to devise a plan to assassinate U.S. President-elect Donald J. Trump. He told officers he did not intend to carry out the plan within the IRGC’s specified timeframe. Shakeri also reported that he had been tasked with spying on two Jewish-American citizens in New York, with an IRGC official offering $500,000 for the assassination of each individual. He was additionally instructed to target Israeli tourists in Sri Lanka.
Iranian Regime Reactions to Trump’s Second Presidency
The political landscape in Iran, particularly in light of international developments, reveals that the ruling regime has long pursued a policy of confronting internal discontent through repression. The regime closely monitors local and international events to assess their impact on the growing public discontent. This has gained particular significance with the increasing international isolation and economic crises threatening the regime’s survival. Political developments in the United States, especially election outcomes, bear critical implications for the future of the Iranian regime. While Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and other leaders publicly deny such influence, initial reactions reveal the truth.
Ahmad Zaid Abadi, a theorist from the so-called reformist faction within the regime, commented on the possible return of Donald Trump to presidency in the U.S.: “To have a narcissistic, deceitful, and unpredictable figure in the White House for another four years is torment for people like me thousands of kilometers away.”
Zeid Abadi added, “The primary problem is that we do not know how Trump would handle global crises, especially the Middle East crisis. Personally, I would need three days of meditation in the mountains around the village of Shurcheshmeh to reorganize my thoughts and understand the new circumstances.”
He further emphasized Iran’s limited capabilities: “If Trump acts aggressively in our region, how can we confront him? Our capabilities are limited, while his executive apparatus possesses immense power!”
Zeid Abadi also expressed concern about the potential return of David Friedman as part of the U.S. administration, stating: “I cannot bear the thought of David Friedman’s return to a position of power in the U.S. Middle East policy! Are the three mentioned problems not enough to highlight more?”
In a previous interview with the “Ham-Mihan” newspaper, Zeid Abadi noted: “If we assume Donald Trump regains the presidency and figures such as Jared Kushner and Mike Pompeo return to power, they will push us into submission under humiliating conditions. Otherwise, they will escalate and initiate attacks… Sometimes governments are forced to choose between bad and worse. Under current conditions, we need to find the best option for our country. Continued conflict means more blows to Iran, potentially extending beyond military strikes to affect its political standing and even creating an existential crisis.”
Similarly, Sadeq Hosseini, another prominent regime theorist, expressed his concerns about Trump’s return and its negative impact on the Iranian regime on his Telegram channel: “Four years ago, when Biden was elected, I said that Trump and Trumpism would return strongly and win the next presidential election. I repeatedly warned that time is running out, and we need to undertake internal reforms and solidify our position in the region and the world before Trump’s return. However, nothing was done.”
Hosseini also foresees that a second Trump term would be more perilous, expecting early pressure on Iran’s regime, particularly through reduced oil revenues. He also anticipates the U.S. to confront Iran’s regime openly, thereby increasing economic risks and complicating regional decision-making.
Use Of Mazut in Iranian Power Plants Due to Gas Shortage
Keramat Veis Karami, the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company, announced an 80% increase in the supply of fuel oil (mazut) to the country’s power plants last month due to a shortage of natural gas.
On Monday, November 4, Veis Karami stated that the supply of mazut to Iranian power plants in September and October this year had increased by 75% and 80%, respectively, compared to the same months last year.
He did not specify the current status of mazut use in power plants but mentioned that diesel delivery to power plants in November had also risen by 80% compared to last year due to a 3.8-degree drop in temperature.
Saeed Tavakoli, CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company, stated last week that Iran faces a daily gas deficit of 250 to 300 million cubic meters this year, which must be offset by supplying equivalent fuels (mazut and diesel) to power plants and industries.
Mazut is the most polluting fossil fuel, and Iranian-produced mazut is especially harmful due to its 3.5% sulfur content, which is seven times the limit set by the International Maritime Organization for tanker fuel.
The diesel fuel used in Iran’s electric power plants also does not meet Euro standards and, with its high sulfur content and low quality, produces significant pollution.
The regime’s Majlis (parliament) Research Center and the National Development Fund of Iran report that Iran faces a gas deficit throughout the year, which intensifies sharply in the autumn and especially in winter.
Veis Karami’s comments indicate that Iran has even increased mazut and diesel supplies to power plants during the warmer months, leading to an overall 38% increase in the delivery of these polluting fuels to power plants this year.
Despite the severe gas shortage and widespread use of mazut, the CEO of the National Iranian Gas Company stated that “halting gas exports is not advisable.”
On October 31, he remarked that stopping gas exports to Turkey, for instance, “could not only damage Iran’s credibility in global markets but also lead to the replacement of Iranian gas with gas from rival countries like Russia and Turkmenistan.”
He added that suspending gas exports would also reduce the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
Under this year’s budget law, the government has planned to export 11 billion cubic meters of gas to Turkey and Iraq, while in next year’s budget bill, Massoud Pezeshkian’s administration aims to raise this figure to 16 billion cubic meters, projecting a revenue of 5.2 billion dollars.
Despite possessing the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves, Iran struggles to meet its domestic consumption needs.
31,000 Villages Abandoned in Iran
Abdolkarim Hosseinzadeh, Iran’s Vice President for Rural Development and Deprived Regions, stated that out of the country’s 69,000 villages, only 38,000 remain inhabited, while 31,000 have been abandoned.
At a national conference of the Housing Foundation on Monday, November 4, Hosseinzadeh noted that in 1976, approximately 70% of Iran’s population lived in rural areas, while 30% resided in cities. This ratio has now reversed as the country faces “widespread” rural-to-urban migration.
World Bank data shows that the proportion of Iran’s rural population dropped from 66% in 1961 to 51% in 1978, and this downward trend has continued since the 1979 Revolution, reaching 23% last year.
The Vice President added that a range of factors—including job shortages, declining quality of life, social changes, income insufficiencies, and climate change—has posed serious challenges to Iran’s rural areas.
The expectation of retaining rural populations persists even as rural inflation nearly matches urban inflation. Additionally, widespread unemployment, water crises, lack of amenities, and the government’s limited support for farmers have further strained rural households.
For example, estimates by the Statistical Center of Iran indicate that only 40% of the rural population is employed, and 11.5% of these individuals work fewer than 44 hours a week, which is considered underemployment.
In contrast, the underemployment rate among urban residents is 6.7%.
Another notable point is that 43% of the rural population works in agriculture—a sector increasingly strained by water shortages and lack of government support.
Last summer, Ali Akbar Mehrabian, the Minister of Energy, reported that 10,000 villages in the country lack access to drinking water, meaning more than a quarter of Iran’s villages do not have drinking water.
Simultaneously, Majid Aghazadeh, Engineering Deputy of the state-owned Water and Wastewater Company, reported a water crisis in 27,000 villages across Iran, affecting a population of over 10 million.
In total, more than 70% of the country’s villages are facing a water crisis.
In the 2025 Budget, Iranians Will Become Poorer
Faramarz Tofighi, a labor activist, criticized Iran’s 2025 budget proposal and the “continuous liberalization measures by Pezeshkian’s administration and its adjustment policies,” stating that “foundational support measures are being eliminated” in this proposal.
In an interview with the state-run ILNA news agency, Tofighi objected to the fact that “the budget for certain special institutions has increased” while noting that there is no allocation in the budget for building power plants or ensuring electricity for the public; he claimed the aim is merely to raise prices.
Tofighi also commented on the currency policies in the budget proposal, stating that “systemic corruption in currency management is entrenched in the economy,” and instead of addressing this issue, preferential foreign exchange is being removed. “This way,” he argued, “the government earns revenue, but people become poorer.”
ILNA reports signs of “price liberalization” and “elimination of government subsidies,” stating that next year, due to a $3 billion reduction in the import budget, an increase in the preferential exchange rate in line with inflation, and the liberalization of energy prices, including electricity, expenses will rise significantly.
ILNA also cited statements from the Ministry of Energy announcing that “electricity prices will increase according to the law, and henceforth, citizens, especially high-consumption users, must source their electricity from the open market and renewable sources.”
The news agency pointed to another sign of “price liberalization” from statements by Mojgan Khanlou, spokesperson for the Budget Office, who announced that Pezeshkian’s administration has planned a gradual increase in the preferential exchange rate for next year, “aimed at controlling inflation.”
According to the report, next year’s budget includes a gradual increase in the preferential exchange rate for importing essential goods and medicines, which will be adjusted in line with annual inflation.
The report claimed that if inflation in 2024 reaches 30%, the preferential exchange rate for the euro will be set at 403,000 rials and for the dollar at 370,000 rials. These figures refer to the preferential rates that the government uses to purchase essential goods. Currently, the market rate for the dollar in Iran is 700,000 rials, and for the euro, it is 752,000 rials.
The ILNA report claims that, in the event of 40% inflation, the dollar will be set at 400,000 rials. These changes will drive up the prices of essential goods, such as chicken meat, which depends on preferential exchange rates and livestock feed imports.
According to ILNA, which is affiliated with the regime-aligned Workers’ House organization, the budget for importing essential goods and medicines has been reduced by 20% in the upcoming budget, dropping from $15 billion to $12 billion.
Tofighi added that higher energy prices will drive up the costs of all goods and services, imposing severe inflation on the economy.
He reiterated his belief that systemic corruption in currency management has taken root in the economy, and rather than solving this issue, preferential exchange rates are being eliminated. “This way,” he emphasized, “the government earns revenue, but people become poorer.”
The labor activist asked, “Should we expect chicken to cost 2 million rials per kilogram (about $2.85) and eggs to cost 150,000 rials each (around $0.21)?”
Iran: The “No to Executions Tuesdays” Campaign Warns of Possible Death Sentences for “Ekbatan” Case Defendants
The “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign released a statement on Tuesday, November 5, marking its 41st week, announcing that nearly 56 people have been executed since the beginning of the Iranian month of Aban (starting on October 21). It was reported that at least 23 of these executions took place just in the past week.
More than 270 people were executed in Iran in October alone, a number unprecedented in the past 20 years.
The statement condemned the execution of Jewish prisoner Arvin Ghahramani in Kermanshah’s Dizelabad Prison, describing the judicial proceedings in his case as “unfair and opaque.”
In another section of the statement, campaign members warned about the fate of eight young people detained during the 2022 protests, involved in the “Ekbatan” case (a housing complex in Tehran). These defendants were tried behind closed doors, and the statement expressed concern that “given the serious charges, there is a possibility they could receive death sentences.”
The statement added that the Supreme Court has upheld the death sentences of four Baluch citizens—Eidou Shahbakhsh, Abdolghani Shahbakhsh, Abdolrahim Qanbarzehi, and Soleiman Shahbakhsh, all campaign members. Their cases have been forwarded for implementation, and their executions could occur at any moment.
In its 41st week, the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign has spread to 24 prisons across Iran, gaining significant domestic and international support, reflecting the resolve of the Iranian people to abolish the death penalty.
Imprisoned writers of this statement emphasized that, with the acceleration of executions, activists from various fields must raise their voices more forcefully to oppose the death penalty in Iran, expose those responsible for these executions, and hold them accountable. They noted that achieving this goal would only be possible through the collective resistance and action of the people and all activists.
At the end of the statement, it was announced that the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign would go on strike across 24 prisons in Iran during its 41st week.
These prisons include Evin (Women’s Ward, Wards 4 and 8), Ghezel Hesar (Units 3 and 4), Karaj Central Prison, Greater Tehran, Arak, Khorramabad, Isfahan’s Asadabad Prison, Sheiban Prison in Ahvaz, Nezam Prison in Shiraz, Bam, Kahnooj, Mashhad, Qaemshahr, Rasht (Men’s and Women’s Wards), Ardabil, Tabriz, Urmia, Salmas, Khoy, Naqadeh, Saqqez, Baneh, Marivan, and Kamyaran.
Record-Breaking Executions in Iran in the Past 20 Years
Amid the intensifying regional conflict and escalating tensions in October, Iran witnessed a brutal violation of human rights and a new wave of repression and executions by the Iranian regime. The harsh increase in death sentences and the arrest of human rights activists and claimants was part of the ongoing pattern of human rights abuses in Iran.
Those detained have attempted to provide daily coverage of prison news and human rights violations, and now, at the end of October, they have issued a general summary of developments.
The State of Repression and Human Rights Violations in Iran in October 2024
Executions:
According to published reports, at least 170 people were executed in various prisons this month. Among those executed were 14 Baluch, 14 Kurds, 12 Afghan nationals, and one Iranian-German citizen. Thus, the number of executions rose from 74 in September to 170 in October, marking a 120% increase.
Detailed Execution Statistics:
Men in prison: 164
Women in prison: 4
Male juvenile offenders in prison: 2
Names of Executed Women:
Akhtar Ghorbanlou: She was executed for murder on October 1, 2024, in Ahar Prison. She had been a child bride.
Leila Ghaemi: She was executed for murder on October 2, 2024, in Ghezel Hesar Prison.
Zahra Faizi: Aged 41, she was executed for murder on October 2, 2024, in Tabriz Central Prison.
An unidentified woman: She was executed in Hamedan Central Prison on October 16, 2024, on drug charges.
Executed Juvenile Offenders:
Mehdi Barahoui: Aged 21 (under 18 at the time of arrest), a Baluch citizen executed in Zahedan Central Prison on October 9, 2024, for murder.
Ali Shirvani: Aged 28 (under 18 at the time of arrest), executed in Shiraz Central Prison on October 12, 2024, for murder.
Torture:
This month, at least two prisoners faced physical torture, two cases of limb amputation, and one case of flogging were reported in various prisons.
Two brothers, Mehrdad and Shahab Teimouri, had four fingers on their right hands amputated by guillotine in Urmia Central Prison.
Flogging sentence: Political prisoner Mohammad Abolhasani was flogged in Qazvin Central Prison.
This month, 39 citizens and fuel couriers were killed by the regime.
Fuel porters: 5
Border porters (kulbars): 4
Other citizens: 30
According to this report, approximately 400 people have been executed since the beginning of the presidency of Massoud Pezeshkian on July 30.
Workers In Iran Commit Suicide Due to Poverty and Unemployment
Ali Fathollahi, Vice President of the Chovar County Council in Ilam Province in western Iran, highlighted issues such as unemployment, economic poverty, and lack of healthcare infrastructure in this county. He mentioned that in recent years, many cases of suicide have occurred due to livelihood problems, and in just one factory, six workers attempted suicide.
On November 4, the state-affiliated ILNA news agency reported in an article titled “Suicides in Ilam’s Most Industrialized City Due to Unemployment” that the poor in this city also lack access to safe drinking water.
In an interview with ILNA, the Vice President of the Chovar County Council discussed the county’s infrastructure problems, stating, “As an industrial city located near a petrochemical company, Chovar has the highest rates of poverty and unemployment and lacks even a park for public recreation.”
In recent years, there have been numerous reports of self-immolation and suicide among laid-off workers from the Chovar petrochemical company.
On October 7, a group of workers from Arghavan Gostar Petrochemical Company in Ilam held a protest in front of the Chovar County Justice Department in support of their detained colleagues.
During this protest, two people attempted self-immolation, one of whom was the father of one of the detained workers.
Fathollahi added that recently, dismissed workers staged a protest outside the petrochemical plant, but the Chovar prosecutor ordered the arrest of eight of them.
The growth of injustice, poverty, corruption, repression, and failure in Iran has put the mental health of society at serious risk.
Workers, in particular, have repeatedly staged protests over various issues, including unpaid wages, low pay, and layoffs.
Despite these protests, the government has not responded adequately and has often detained labor activists.
