The Iranian Regime’s Infiltrators In US Policy Circles Exposed

Jubin Katiraie
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The Iranian Regime’s Infiltrators In US Policy Circles Exposed
On September 26, simultaneous reports by the Semafor website in the United States and the Persian-language network Iran International revealed the infiltration operations of the Iranian regime and some of its agents. This shocking and significant disclosure exposed how the Iranian regime had infiltrated various American organizations through its agents, posing as fabricated researchers, experts, academics, and advisors. One of these agents is Ariane Tabatabai, who was employed in institutions affiliated with Harvard University, and among her tasks was to take actions against the opposition group People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI). She consistently warned about the dangers posed by the PMOI, which is the main opposition to the Iranian regime. In their article written by Jay Solomon, Semafor provides further details: “In the spring of 2014, senior Iranian Foreign Ministry officials initiated a quiet effort to bolster Tehran’s image and positions on global security issues — particularly its nuclear program — by building ties with a network of influential overseas academics and researchers. They called it the Iran Experts Initiative. “The officials, working under the moderate President Hassan Rouhani, congratulated themselves on the impact of the initiative: At least three of the people on the Foreign Ministry’s list were, or became, top aides to Robert Malley, the Biden administration’s special envoy on Iran, who was placed on leave this June following the suspension of his security clearance.” The communications revealed to the press give a glimpse of the access Rouhani’s diplomats have had to Washington’s and Europe’s policy circles, particularly during the final years of the Obama administration, through this network. The IEI wrote many op-eds and analyses, interviewed with TV channels, and took to Twitter to promote the need for a compromise with Tehran on the nuclear issue. Saeed Khatibzadeh, a Berlin-based Iranian diplomat and former Foreign Ministry spokesman, was in connection with Mostafa Zahrani, the head of the IPIS think tank in Tehran, as well as Ariane Tabatabai and Dina Esfandiary. Tabatabai currently serves in the Pentagon as the chief of staff for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations, a position that requires a U.S. government security clearance. She previously served as a diplomat on Malley’s Iran nuclear negotiating team after the Biden administration took office in 2021. Esfandiary is a senior advisor on the Middle East and North Africa at the International Crisis Group, a think tank that Malley headed from 2018 to 2021. The regime’s ministry of foreign affairs guided this network of so-called experts on the regime’s talking points and influence strategy. Adnan Tabatabai offered Iran’s Foreign Ministry to ghostwrite pieces on its behalf. “Our suggestion could be that we as a group, work on an essay (2000 words) regarding the ongoing talks,” Tabatabai told Zarif in one same email published by Semafor. “It could, for example, be published under a former official’s name, through the CSR or IPIS — of course after you and your team revised the piece.” The suggestion was accepted by Zarif, who recommended that “these articles or Op-Eds” be published under the names of various Iranian and non-Iranians abroad, as well as former officials. In another example, Ali Vaez of the International Crisis Group, a close protégé of Robert Malley, sent an article on defusing the nuclear crisis to Zahrani in June 2014, ahead of publication. “I look forward to your comments and feedback,” he wrote in the email, which included his article, “The Conceptual Perils of Nuclear Diplomacy with Iran.” The article was shared with Zarif and published 12 days later in the National Interest, under the title, “False Dilemmas in the Iran Talks.” Some minor changes were made to the article. Tabatabai, the current Pentagon official, on at least two occasions checked in with Iran’s Foreign Ministry before attending policy events, according to the emails. She wrote to Zahrani in Farsi on June 27, 2014, to say she’d been invited to Saudi Arabia Faisal and Israel. “I am not interested in going, but then I thought maybe it would be better that I go and talk, rather than an Israeli like Emily Landau who goes and disseminates disinformation. I would like to ask your opinion too and see if you think I should accept the invitation and go.” She wrote to Zahrani. Vaez was also very active in the media. Since IEI began working in 2014 up to July 2015, when the nuclear deal was signed, he was cited in most major U.S.  newspapers, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post and Los Angeles Times. Following the report, Senate and House Republicans called for an investigation into the Iranian regime-backed influence operation. The Republican chairmen of the House Armed Services Committee and House Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations jointly wrote Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Tuesday, in response to the report, and requested a review of the security clearance approved for Tabatabai, the Pentagon official described in the Iranian documents. “Was the Department aware of Ms. Tabatabai’s participation in Iranian government-sponsored influence networks, such as the Iran Experts Initiative?” Reps. Mike Rogers and Jack Bergman wrote. They requested the Pentagon answer this question, and six others, by next Tuesday. Sen. Ted Cruz, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, demanded the administration suspend the security clearances of any U.S. official tied to the IEI. He also called on the White House to refrain from resuming nuclear negotiations with Tehran, given the information about the IEI initiative. “These reports and the emails they expose are indescribably troubling. When Joe Biden was elected, the Iranian regime’s nuclear program was in a box, their economy was on the brink of collapse, and their oil exports had cratered. President Biden and Biden officials have allowed the regime to get within reach of a nuclear arsenal, restore their economy, and export millions of barrels per day of oil worth hundreds of billions of dollars. They have agreed to secret nuclear side deals that are being kept from Congress, including ransom deals worth additional billions of dollars. They have implemented these policies while regime officials, including the Ayatollah’s hand-picked President, continue to openly brag about trying to murder former American officials. “Americans have rightly been asking why the Biden administration is so friendly with the Iranian regime, and why Biden administration officials have so single-mindedly enabled Iranian nuclear progress and terrorism. These reports and emails suggest a vast Iranian influence operation that goes to the very top of the administration. “The Biden administration should immediately cease its secret diplomacy with Iran and its dismantling of sanctions, and any officials linked to these emails should immediately have their security clearances pulled until these allegations are fully resolved and accountability is imposed.”

Iran’s Regime is Suppressing Students Under the Pretext of Hijab

Esmaeil Mohades
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Iran’s Regime is Suppressing Students Under the Pretext of Hijab
The “Amirkabir Newsletter” reported the installation of cameras in the campuses of Tehran’s Amirkabir and Beheshti universities, stating that students are summoned via phone calls “due to their attire.” According to this report, the installed cameras in the university environment are being used as a new tool for suppressing the violation of the regime’s dress code. An “informed source” told Amirkabir Newsletter that “campus security forces are also examining the internal cameras of educational environments to take the most severe action against students who they claim have violated the dress code.” Students believe that phone summons based on the disciplinary regulations approved in Aban (October/November) 2022 are “illegal.” In this regard, students are also protesting against the phone summons being “without stating the subject” and consider it “illegal.” However, the enforcement of disciplinary regulations is taking place while, according to many independent jurists, various parts of the “disciplinary” regulations, including the regulation being referenced, contradict principles of human rights, such as freedom of expression, freedom of thought and belief, freedom of assembly and association. On Tuesday, student news sources also reported the establishment of “guidance patrol” at the University of Tehran, with students being required to wear “Maqna’eh (a type of headscarf) and long overcoat” reaching “below the knee.” According to the public relations channel of “United Students,” on Tuesday, September 26, it was stated in a report that the university’s security prevented students wearing headscarves from entering through the main gate and announced that students are “required to wear Maqna’eh and overcoat reaching below the knee” to enter. According to this channel’s announcement, “hijab patrols (morality police) have also started operating in the central area of the University of Tehran.” This is happening while a bill approved by the Majlis (parliament) titled “Chastity and Hijab” emphasizes that a “database of students” should be handed over to the “law enforcement forces” in order to identify individuals without hijab. Some universities have also taken steps to obtain “written commitments” with various clauses in order to impose the desired “compulsory hijab.” The texts of these commitment letters state that “in case of non-compliance with the above-mentioned matters, individuals who violate the university’s chastity and hijab laws will be dealt with and their families will be informed.” In addition to the measures taken by government institutions to impose the desired dress code on students, the Ministry of Health of the Islamic Republic has also issued an executive directive for the dress code of medical students and assistants. It emphasizes restrictions on clothing, makeup, the use of perfume, and “observance of religious boundaries” in the presence of “non-mahram” individuals (close relatives). According to the Ministry of Health’s notification, which was issued September 20, under the title “Code of Conduct and Dress Code for Students and Assistants” for the new academic year, wearing “short or tight clothes, open-front overcoats, silk fabric, net, or open-collar clothes” is prohibited. In December 2022, the University of Tehran implemented the decision of its Cultural Council regarding the treatment of opponents of compulsory hijab. The Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Education also previously stated in separate statements, following the widespread opposition to compulsory hijab after the killing of Mahsa Amini in the custody of “Morality Police,” that they are “excused from providing services to individuals who do not consider themselves obliged to comply with the hijab law.” In June, the University of Art in Tehran made the wearing of Maqna’eh compulsory on campus, which was met with protests by students. In the same context, on June 17, simultaneous with the ongoing protests of students at the University of Art in Tehran against the compulsory wearing of Maqna’eh, student guild councils announced that a “significant number” of these students were detained by plainclothes forces and transferred to an undisclosed location. With the beginning of the academic year in universities, along with the final approval of the “Chastity and Hijab” bill, a security atmosphere has prevailed over educational environments. Since Iran’s 1979 revolution, which saw the mullahs rise to power, the ruling regime has institutionalized the oppression of women in the constitution and legal fields such as inheritance, testimony, judging, traveling abroad, and so on. This has resulted in the systemic marginalization of half of Iran’s population and the emergence of many social and economic problems across the country. Many of the minimum rights recognized for women across the world are out of reach for Iranian women, and gender equality is in total contrast to the misogynistic beliefs of the ruling mullahs. The policy of compulsory hijab is another aspect of discrimination against Iranian women. Iran’s security forces implemented the compulsory veil in Iran was implemented shortly after 1979 revolution, anyone does not abide by it will face consequences like jail. Mandatory veil is against Islam and is only meant to enchain women, facilitating a general social clampdown. Since the first day, imposing the veil on women was a means of repression and obstructing women’s path, and nothing else. During its four-decade rule, the regime has intensified violence against women to the point security forces brutally harass young women and girls and drag them on the ground and beat them. But the reality is that Iranian women have never tolerated this oppression in the last 44 years and have always been at the forefront of protesting against discrimination. Tens of thousands of women have been killed in the struggle against this regime, and there are women who are at the forefront of the Iranian resistance and hold the position of leader. These brave women want to overthrow this brutal regime and create a better world for Iranian women. In this regard Mrs. Maryam Rajavi the president elect of the National Council of resistance of Iran, said, “The repression of women under the pretext of hijab has nothing to do with Islam. It is imperative to resist such oppression. Anything that goes against human freedom and free choice is not credible, whether it is compulsory religion, compulsory veil, or compulsory worship.”

IAEA Director: Ambiguities Remain On Iran’s Nuclear Activities

Hoshang Amiri
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IAEA Director: Ambiguities Remain On Iran’s Nuclear Activities
The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that only full cooperation from Iran can prove the peaceful nature of the country’s nuclear program. He stated that several important aspects of Iran’s nuclear activities remain unresolved, and the agency is ready to cooperate with Iran. The 67th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency began on Monday, September 25, in Vienna, Austria. During this conference, which will continue until September 29, high-ranking officials and representatives of member states of the International Atomic Energy Agency will examine a wide range of topics. In his opening speech at the conference, Rafael Grossi, the Director-General of the agency, addressed the most important issues, including Iran’s nuclear activities. He reminded that the agency has always reported to the Board of Governors of the IAEA regarding its verification activities in Iran, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2231. The Director-General emphasized that after several years, there are still ambiguities regarding Iran’s nuclear activities. According to Grossi, significant progress has not been made in implementing the activities specified in the latest joint statement of Iran and the agency in March of this year. The Director-General of the agency added that the agency has been actively engaged with Iran and is ready to work to resolve outstanding issues. However, only Iran’s full cooperation and achieving tangible results in this regard can assure parties of the peaceful nature of Iran’s nuclear program, he insisted. Mohammad Eslami, the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, reacted to the statements of the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency. According to the state-run ISNA news agency, Islami said, “For 22 years, allegations (of non-compliance) have been raised, and we have patiently, transparently, and cooperatively dealt with this issue to reach a resolution.” He further stated that the formation of these “allegations influenced by enmity” is baseless setups and accusations, and said, “Tehran’s actions are carried out within the framework of the strategic law of the parliament (Strategic Action to Lift Sanctions and Protect the Interests of the Iranian Nation).” Britain, France, and Germany, and the United States, which previously withdrew from the JCPOA, called on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in a joint statement to take further measures to compel Iran to be more transparent. The statement, raised during the Board of Governors meeting of the agency, emphasized that Iran must promptly provide accurate and credible information about nuclear materials and contaminated equipment at two undisclosed sites in Turquzabad and Karaj. The discovery of traces of radioactive materials and contaminated equipment at several undisclosed sites in Iran is a contentious issue between the agency and Tehran, with unanswered questions remaining about some of them. It is likely that the Iranian regime’s decision to cancel the licenses of eight German and French inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which has faced strong criticism, will be one of the topics discussed at the agency’s meeting. Peter Stano, the spokesperson for EU foreign policy, called on Iran to “immediately reconsider” its recent decision. He stated that the direct and severe impact of Tehran’s decision on the agency’s ability to carry out verification activities, including monitoring the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is of particular concern. The European Union plays a coordinating role in the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iran: Land Subsidence Within 300 Meters of Famous Persepolis Site

Jubin Katiraie
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Iran: Land Subsidence Within 300 Meters of Famous Persepolis Site
Simultaneously with the subsidence crisis in the plains of Fars province, a member of the academic staff of Shiraz University announced that this phenomenon is within 300 meters from Persepolis and has caused 70-centimeter cracks in the Naqsh-e Rustam area. Maryam Dehghani, a member of the academic staff of the Department of Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering at Shiraz University, stated in an interview with the regime’s semiofficial ILNA news agency on September 24 that a subsidence edge has reached about 10 to 15 meters from the ancient area of Naqsh-e Rustam, and the width of these cracks ranges from half a meter to 70 centimeters, which fill up with sand and sediment every year but reopen again. According to Dehghani, “Although Persepolis is not affected by subsidence, a subsidence of about 10 to 15 centimeters has occurred within 300 meters of it due to its location in the mountainous region.” In recent years, experts have repeatedly warned about the critical subsidence of land in various areas of Iran and the serious damage to historical and ancient artifacts. On June 7, the Hammihan newspaper, citing an unnamed archaeologist, mentioned historical structures in Isfahan that have been affected by subsidence. The archaeologist considered the presence of “longitudinal cracks” in these structures as a sign of subsidence and added that traces of this phenomenon can also be seen on the entrances, domes, and walls of the Jame’a Mosque of Isfahan.
Great-mosque or masjid-e-jameh of Isfahan-Iran
Great-mosque or masjid-e-jameh of Isfahan-Iran
In this regard, Bahram Nadi, a university professor and member of the specialized subsidence committee in Isfahan, stated on September 19 that the dome of the Jame’a Mosque of Isfahan has tilted, and the columns of the mosque have become crooked and broken as a result of subsidence. The head of the Shiraz Tourism Council also stated in December 2021 that the northern Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz is collapsing, and despite the possibility of numerous life-threatening risks, no action is being taken by authorities. Mehrdad Veis Karami, the representative of Khorramabad in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, also warned about the subsidence of Falak-ol-Aflak Castle in Lorestan province in the same year. The phenomenon of land subsidence, which has affected many plains in Iran, has not only caused damage and destruction to historical structures but has also had an impact on the lives of millions of people. According to experts, it will lead to financial losses and even casualties in the not-so-distant future. For example, Majid Nasimi, the Director-General of School Renovation in Isfahan province, stated on September 23 that “40 schools in the province have been damaged due to land subsidence. Out of this number, the situation of six schools was deemed hazardous, and we were forced to issue an evacuation order for them.” In recent years, numerous reports of sudden ground subsidence in streets and residential areas in various cities have been published. Experts consider the excessive extraction of groundwater as the main cause of land subsidence in Iran. The situation is described as critical in several provinces including Tehran, Alborz, Isfahan, Fars, Kerman, Hamadan, Semnan, Qazvin, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, and Yazd. The head of the National Crisis Management Organization announced on June 11 that 602 plains in the country are prone to subsidence. Mohammad Ali Fahimi, the head of the Subsurface Water Studies Group at the Regional Water Company of Yazd Province, stated on June 14 to the state-run ISNA news agency that the danger of land subsidence and the occurrence of sinkholes not only cause significant damage to the infrastructure of the province every year but also extend to within a few hundred meters of people’s homes in some areas of the province. In addition to financial losses, it poses a “mortal threat.” He also stated that land subsidence is “irreversible and creeping.” The annual land subsidence in some areas such as the southern part of Tehran plain, as well as the plains of Fasa and Jahrom, reaches 40 to 54 centimeters per year, which is “100 times higher than the global standard and is a terrifying record.” Experts have attributed the phenomenon of land subsidence to the excessive extraction of groundwater, especially in Tehran, Alborz, Isfahan, Fars, Kerman, Hamadan, Semnan, Qazvin, Khorasan Razavi, North Khorasan, and Yazd provinces. If there is a popular government in Iran, the water crisis will undoubtedly be resolved, and the first and most accessible way to invest in the agriculture sector. Mechanizing Iran’s agriculture with drip irrigation system and pressurized system will save a lot of water. It is possible to invest in the water sector and save the land of Iran from extinction and destruction. But the regime’s priorities are acquiring atomic bombs, exporting terrorism and fundamentalism, and developing ballistic missiles. There are thousands of villages that are currently supplied with drinking water by tankers, and millions of Iranians are forced to leave their cities and villages and go to the slums or large cities due to lack of water, and the regime has done nothing for them.

85 Kolbars Injured and Killed in Six Months

Hoshang Amiri
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85 Kolbars Injured and Killed in Six Months
The media outlet “Kolbarnews” (hra-news) has reported that a total of 85 kolbars (cross-border laborers) were killed or injured in the first six months of the Persian calendar year (From March 21 to September 21) in the border areas and roads of West Azerbaijan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah provinces. Kolbars are individuals who transport commercial goods on their backs from border areas into the country to make ends meet. Kolbars are often subjected to suppression and violence by the military forces. According to the report, out of this number, 13 kolbars were killed and 72 kolbars were injured. Among the total of 85 kolbars who were killed or injured, 77 of them lost their lives or were injured due to direct shootings by the regime military forces. In the latest incident, Harana news agency reported that on September 20, a kolbar was injured as a result of military shootings in the border area of Baneh. The kolbar’s name was identified as Farid and he was from Divandarreh. According to the report, this kolbar was targeted by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces (IRGC) and was transferred to a medical center for treatment. Previously, the Statistics center, Publications, and Works Center of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Association had announced that in 2022, 21 kolbars lost their lives and 133 were injured by the border and security forces. Additionally, during this period, 28 kolbars were involved in accidents due to climatic and geographical conditions such as freezing and falls from heights. Out of this number, 26 kolbars were injured, and two lost their lives. The evidence shows that people in border areas engage in manual transfer of goods across the border due to the lack of job opportunities and poor living conditions.

Workers And Employees In Iran Can’t Afford Housing

Jubin Katiraie
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Workers And Employees In Iran Can’t Afford Housing
A member of the Construction Commission of the Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament) has reported an intensification of the housing crisis in Iran and stated that “today the house rent prices have exceeded the purchasing power of the working class, employees, and lower-income segments of society.” Ismaeil Hossein-Zehi also announced the identification and closure of over ten thousand unauthorized real estate agencies in the country, considering them as “the cause of the crisis” in the housing market. Babak Negahdari, the head of the Majlis Research Center, stated on May 21 that “government policies” have led to a 52-fold increase in housing prices in Tehran over the past 17 years, although this price growth “has been eightfold in a small city like Yasuj.” One of the mentioned policies is the determination of rent ceilings, which landlords have never adhered to. In this regard, the head of the National Association of Housing and Building Constructors of Iran had stated that there is no solution available in the current situation to control rental markets. Mohammad Mortazavi emphasized that “focusing” on short-term solutions in the rental market “diverts us from finding the proper solution.” According to Mortazavi, the processes pursued in recent years regarding housing and rent have not only failed to solve the problem but have also increased “dissatisfaction and mistrust” among tenants. In response to the exclusion of rental housing from the reach of a considerable portion of society, the state-run “Donya-e-Eqtesad” newspaper also wrote on July 11 that “the new defeat of tenants in the rental market has resulted in a new scene of forced migration of housing-deprived households to cheaper areas.” According to the newspaper’s report, the tolerance of tenants has not only decreased significantly in the face of new rental prices but has also decreased significantly even in maintaining “last year’s rental levels.” The regime’s newspaper Ham-Mihan also reacted on May 4 to the rental market and stated that the determination of the growth rate of housing rents, which was initiated by the Hassan Rouhani administration, has turned into a “failed plan” without any executive guarantee. The report emphasized that the High Council of Housing had set a 25% rental ceiling for Tehran and 20% for other cities this year, but there is no sign of the council’s resolution being implemented. Mohammad Reza Tajik, a representative of workers in the Supreme Labor Council, also considered workers’ housing as one of the “unsolved” problems of the working community and said, “Unfortunately, various governments have failed in their housing plans.” An examination of the rental market conditions in Iran indicates that despite the promises of regime officials, the latest official statistics show an increase in the growth rate of rents in the month of August compared to July. According to the statistics announced by the Statistical Center of Iran, the “housing rent” index has increased by an average of 38% in the first five months of this year (from March to August) compared to the same period of the previous year. According to the analysis of the “Donya-e-Eqtesad” newspaper, the current growth rate of rent costs is more than twice the “historical inflation in this market” and 1.9 times the “government-approved ceiling.” Official statistics of the regime show such a situation, and the history of “statistical manipulation” and manipulation of indices and calculation methods by official institutions has always been a concern of independent experts, which is why there is no trust in their accuracy. Experts believe that reality is always “more severe” than the image presented by the official statistics of the regime‘s institutions.

Iran’s Regime Prevents Families of Murdered Protesters From Holding Ceremonies

Esmaeil Mohades
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Iran’s Regime Prevents Families of Murdered Protesters From Holding Ceremonies
On September 21, the Iranian regime’s state security forces (SSF) attacked a ceremony held at the grave of Mohsen Gheysari in Ilam, one of the protesters murdered by security forces during the 2022 uprising. Security forces arrested the brother of this slain protester along with several other citizens. They severely beat and injured some of the attendees. In the evening, they also raided the home of the family of Javad Heydari, another slain protester, in Rahmatabad village, Qazvin province, and arrested his 70-year-old father and two brothers. Reports indicate that the SSF prevented the commemoration ceremony of the protesters in at least 19 cities in Iran, including Tehran, Khorramabad, Kermanshah, Islamabad-e Gharb, Quchan, Divandareh, Shahriar, Garmsar, Pakdasht, Karaj, Saqqez, Oshnavieh, Urmia, Rasht, Sari, Amol, Nowshahr, Qazvin, and Ilam. Fatemeh Heydari, the sister of Javad Heydari, reported on September 21 that her 70-year-old father and two brothers were arrested by the security forces. According to Ms. Heydari, as a result the attack by the SSF on their home in Rahmatabad village, Qazvin, her mother’s physical conditions became critical and she was transferred to the hospital for several hours. Javad Heydari was an agricultural engineer and a protester who was killed on September 22, 2022, by direct gunfire from the regime security forces during the nationwide protests in Qazvin province west of Tehran. With the anniversary of Javad Heydari’s death approaching, the security forces entered the village where the Heydari family resides and the location of his grave on Thursday with several vehicles. They arrested Javad’s father and brothers in an attempt to exert pressure on this grieving family and prevent the commemoration ceremony. Once again, dozens of security forces entered Rahmatabad village on Friday, September 21, and “attacked Javad Heydari’s home with bullets and tear gas, beating his family members on the anniversary of their loved one” and kept members of this family confined to their home for hours. Meanwhile, Abbas Kazemi, the Deputy Governor for Political, Security, and Social Affairs of Qazvin province, denied the videos that clearly showed SSF in front of Javad Heydari’s family home firing tear gas at the house, and described the presence of these forces as “protecting the locals” against the “provocative call” for protests. Kazemi claimed that “cutting off the internet in Rahmatabad village and beating and injuring members of Javad Heydari’s family and their relatives” are not true. The arrest of three members of Javad Heydari’s family has been carried out while several other families of killed protesters , including the family of Mohsen Ghaysari, were attacked and assaulted by the security forces in the city of Ilam on Friday. According to the Hengaw human rights website, “SSF arrested Mohammad Hossein Ghaysari, the brother of Mohsen Ghaysari, who was killed during the protests, by attacking the participants in the Behesht-e-Reza Cemetery located in Hanivan town on Friday, September 22.” Mohsen Ghaysari , a young protester, was killed on September 21, 2022, during the early days of the protests in Ilam, as a result of direct gunfire by security forces. According to Hengaw, the Ghaysari family was holding a ceremony on Friday, September 21, to commemorate the anniversary of Mohsen’s death when they came under attack by security forces. In addition to the “temporary detention” of Mohsen’s brother, several other individuals who had attended the ceremony were also detained by security forces, and at the same time, a number of attendees were severely beaten and injured and were taken to a hospital in Ilam and the condition of several of these injured individuals has been reported as “very critical.” Published videos from the streets around Pakdasht Cemetery in Tehran province show that dozens of special forces personnel were stationed in the area, preventing access to the graves of two killed protesters, Mohammadreza Eskandari and Mohsen Pazouki, even to their families. At the same time, Shabnam Eskandari, the sister of Mohammadreza Eskandari, wrote on her X account: “The ceremony for my brother on Friday has been canceled.” Meanwhile, reports indicate that on Friday in many cities, including Kermanshah, Islamabad, Ilam, Ghouchan, Divandareh, Shahriar, Varamin, and Karaj, government security forces prevented the commemoration ceremonies for the killed protesters by exerting pressure on their families and deploying a large number of forces around the cemeteries. In Gilan and Mazandaran provinces, where government forces had previously arrested several families of the killed protesters, the commemoration ceremonies for the killed protesters were also prevented on Friday. Frazaneh Barzehkar, the mother of Erfan Razaei, as well as Vahid Kia and Masoumeh Azari in Nowshahr and Mahsa Yazdani in Sari, are still under arrest. Fatemeh Mojtabai, the mother of Ghazaleh Chelabi, a killed protester in Amol, also posted on her Instagram account on the anniversary of her daughter’s death, mentioning the pressures and increased threats, saying: “The judicial system, the police, the security apparatus, all have conspired to intimidate us, the grieving families.” The pressures on the families of the protesters have been increasing for a long time before the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the State Security Force, and the family of Mahsa Amini was also not granted permission to hold a commemoration ceremony on September 16.

Iran’s Students Face High Costs of Stationery at the Beginning of Academic Year

Hoshang Amiri
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Iran’s Students Face High Costs of Stationery at the Beginning of Academic Year
Iranian schools will welcome students under conditions where the rising educational expenses, including a 50% increase in the price of stationery items, have caused the academic year to start with high costs for students and their parents. One of the first consequences of this situation is more students dropping out from education. According to the regime’s Tejaratnews website on September 20, based on a poll by Sarmayeh polling Agency, on average, the price of stationery items alone has experienced a 50% increase. According to the results obtained in the survey by this center, about 60% of Tehran households pay tuition fees for their children’s education, and more than 53% of students in Tehran province walk to school because transportation costs have increased by more than 50% compared to last year. The state-run Didban Iran website also reported on the shock of parents after seeing the prices in the new academic year and wrote: “After encountering astronomical prices, people are forced to buy one or two essential items.” The website quoted one of the parents as saying: “With a budget of 10 million rials for buying stationery items, I spent an 8 million rials (approximately $16) on notebooks and a 2 million rials (approximately $4) on colored pens… My daughter did not need a backpack and school uniform this year, otherwise we didn’t know where to get them.” Field reports from Didban Iran show that if the back-to-school shopping includes shoes, backpack, notebooks, pencils, and pens, families would have to spend an average of 60 million rials (approximately $120). School uniforms are also one of the costly items in the back-to-school expenses, to the extent that, according to Didban Iran, the price of school uniforms varies from 10 to 15 million rials (approximately $20 to $30) in public schools. The regime’s Arman Meli newspaper also reported on September 21, on the eve of the new academic year, about installment purchases of stationery items and wrote: “The stationery market that used to be bustling in the last days of summer, and students eagerly purchased all the necessary stationery, is now affected by inflation, and there is no sign of the bustling market of the past.” Furthermore, the newspaper Jahan-e Sanat, quoting the head of the Hamedan province Stationery Union, reported, “We are witnessing a 50% increase in the price of stationery items in the market, and the market conditions are not favorable compared to previous years, with people’s purchasing power significantly reduced.” Mousa Farzanian, the head of the Union of Stationery and Engineering Supplies, also told the website Eghtesaad24 that due to the increase in prices, people’s purchasing power has decreased, and they currently manage expenses and make purchases periodically so that they can provide the necessary items for their children for school and buy the remaining items throughout the year. In the current situation, inflation and high prices in smaller cities in Iran manifest themselves in a way that one of the first consequences is the dropout of students from education. In this regard, the Education Department of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province has announced that out of 17,000 first-grade students, 3,700 students lack the ability to purchase textbooks and meet the necessary conditions to prepare for their new classes. The ILNA news agency reported on poverty in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and its impact on school dropout due to economic difficulties. Some parents expressed concern about the alarming increase in the required items for their students in the new academic year and stated that their economic conditions are not suitable for their children to continue their education, forcing them to prevent their children from continuing their studies. Hamzeh Bagherinejad, the Deputy of Literacy Movement Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, however, attributed factors other than financial poverty as effective in student dropouts, stating that “cultural poverty, neglected children, employment, early marriage, incurable diseases, and mental retardation” are among other reasons for students’ dropout in this province. According to Bagherinejad, identifying some of the dropout students due to the lack of residential addresses, contact numbers, and other means of communication with them is impossible. The intensification of school dropout due to poverty in Iran comes at a time when the Iranian regime claims to provide free education and equal access to the education system for all individuals. However, the Majlis (parliament) Research Center has a different opinion and in its latest report on this matter, it announced that in the academic year 2022-2021, more than 911,000 children have been left behind in the three levels of education. Information from the regime’s Statistical Center indicates that the number of students dropping out of primary education has been increasing over a period of three academic years. For example, in the academic year 2016-2017, the number of dropouts from primary education was close to 162,000, which increased to over 210,000 in the academic year 2021-2022. Statistics also show that 70% of dropouts are related to low-income brackets ranging from one to five. The official point-to-point inflation rate in Iran is announced to be 63 percent, and Mohammad Bagheri Banaee, a member of the parliament’s economic commission, says that the poverty line has reached 300 million rials in Tehran. According to the decision of the Labor Council, the minimum wage for single and inexperienced workers is set at 73 million rials (approximately $146), and for workers with two children, it is 85 million rials (approximately $170), only 21 percent higher than last year.

Protests Resurge In Iran Despite Crackdown

Esmaeil Mohades
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Protests Resurge In Iran Despite Crackdown
September 16 marked the first anniversary of Iran’s 2022 nationwide uprising, which began after the regime’s security forces murdered Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman. People held protest rallies and strikes despite severe security measures by the regime. Protests in Iran continued on Sunday, despite widespread repression of the protesters by the state security forces. On Sunday, protesters in the city of Hamedan shouted, “Death to the Islamic Republic.” Security forces fired at the demonstrators. In this regard, Maryam Rajavi the president elect of the Iranian resistance, condemned the brutal suppression of protesters in Hamedan. Human rights groups reported the detention of several protesters in several cities, including in Saqqez and Sanandaj. Meanwhile, the Minister of Intelligence of the Iranian regime warned that actions may be taken against foreign media outlets that Tehran accuses of fueling the protests in the country.   The protests in Iran have garnered attention from many world politicians. Robert Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called for accountability from the Iranian regime by the international community on the occasion of the first anniversary of the “beating and murder of Mahsa Amini at the hands of the Iranian regime.” Senator Menendez spoke about the Iranian protests, from Tehran to Mahabad and Isfahan, stating that Iranian men and women took to the streets in over 133 cities and all provinces to defend their fellow citizens, their lives, and their freedoms. Menendez said that despite the intentional blinding of the protesters, the use of military ammunition by the regime’s agents, and the issuance of death sentences, the people of Iran continued their demonstrations day by day, exposing themselves to the dangers of intimidation, violence, imprisonment, and death. The American senator further added that the international community owes it to the people of Iran to never allow the Islamic Republic to escape the crimes committed during its brutal crackdown. Menendez said that while the brave people of Iran continue to be suppressed by the Islamic Republic, the international community is owing “full support” to the Iranian people. Jim Risch, a senior member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also emphasized his renewed support for the people of Iran on the occasion of the first anniversary of Mahsa’s murder. According to this prominent Republican senator, simultaneous with the release of Iranian assets by the Biden administration, further actions must be taken to hold the regime accountable for serious human rights violations and its support of terrorism. Claudia Tenney, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, posted a video commemorating Mahsa and highlighting her lasting impact on Iran and the world. She called for the support of human rights and human dignity in Iran and throughout the world. In Tehran, nightly protests were reported in several cities, where protesters chanted slogans against the regime and supreme leader Ali Khamenei.  

What The “Reduction” of Iran’s Gini Coefficient Says About the Economy

Jubin Katiraie
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What The “Reduction” of Iran’s Gini Coefficient Says About the Economy
Although the latest report from the Statistical Center of Iran indicates a decreasing trend in Iran’s Gini coefficient, which reflects income inequality, studies show that without considering the uninterrupted increase in inflation and the decrease in purchasing power parity, the result of a fair distribution of wealth cannot be achieved. The Gini coefficient measures the distribution of income and wealth among different individuals in a specific period of time and indicates how the economic situation of individuals has changed. Persistent inflation and sudden inflationary spikes, especially in the past five years, have led, according to official regime statistics, to a significant decrease in purchasing power parity (PPP) for the people and nearly half of Iran’s population falling below the poverty line. However, the Statistical Center of Iran, in a recently published report, has announced that in 2022, the Gini coefficient for households in the entire country was 0.3877, indicating a decrease of 0.0061 compared to the previous year. The Gini coefficient, which is used to measure income or wealth inequality in a country or any other group of people, is a number between 0 and 1. The closer the Gini coefficient is to zero, the better the economic situation and the greater the economic equality. On the other hand, as this index approaches the number one, it indicates an unfair and unequal distribution of wealth. An analysis of the details of the Statistical Center’s report indicates the fact that although industrial provinces such as Kerman, Isfahan, Semnan, and Qazvin are ranked as provinces with low Gini coefficients, Ilam, which is one of Iran’s deprived provinces in terms of fair wealth distribution, is introduced as the second province with a low Gini coefficient in the Statistical Center’s studies. On the other hand, despite its proximity to oil-rich regions and the presence of hundreds of oil-industrial complexes, Bushehr Province is classified as one of the provinces with a high Gini coefficient. It seems that such a picture of Iran’s economy cannot reflect the realities of Iranian society.

Hidden and explicit points in the report

As mentioned, the Gini coefficient alone is not enough to demonstrate fair wealth distribution in a society, and it is necessary to consider other components such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Purchasing Power Parity (PPP), and the prosperity index to measure the level of well-being. Since wealth distribution has a direct relationship with the well-being of citizens in a country’s economy, wealth distribution is defined based on the Gross Domestic Product index, which reflects the real value of all products and services produced by a nation within its borders. The International Monetary Fund reported Iran as the 22nd largest economy in the world based on GDP in 2022. The question is whether the well-being and wealth distribution in Iran, as the 22nd largest economy in the world, also confirm this. To further investigate, we examine two other indices: the Economic Prosperity Index and Purchasing Power Parity. The latest report related to the global prosperity index by the Legatum Prosperity Index in 2022 indicates that Iran is ranked 126th out of 167 countries surveyed. At the same time, in the same year, according to the International Monetary Fund, Iran’s ranking in the Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) index is 85th in the world. Comparing these three indices with each other suggests that wealth distribution and purchasing power parity in 2022 have not improved in proportion to Iran’s gross domestic product. The real measure of each Iranian’s benefit from national gross production becomes more accurate when other indices improve accordingly. Economists believe that in some countries like Iran, the best method of measuring the Gini coefficient is to calculate income distribution rather than assets and wealth since it is possible for an individual who has a good financial status to experience a decrease in income for any reason during the period under review, while their assets and wealth remain unchanged. Such conditions can have a misleading impact on measuring the Gini coefficient.

Fair distribution of poverty

Alongside the global picture of fair wealth distribution in Iran, other indicators can be added to assess whether the economic situation of the people has changed during the mentioned period. Inflation rate, unemployment rate, and the poverty index are three components that statistics show have deteriorated rather than improved over the past five years. In June, the Majlis (parliament) Research Center announced in an official report that the poverty line in Iran has grown by about 65% in the past two years. According to this government institution, the poverty rate has pushed approximately 11 million people below the poverty line over a decade. Following that, the regime’s Jamaran website, cited economist Farshad Momeni as saying that almost one out of every three Iranians is considered absolutely poor. Farshad Momeni stated this based on reports from the Statistical Center and said that for the first time in the past 100 years, Iran’s impoverished population has doubled in less than three years. At the same time that the people of Iran become poorer, a small group, mostly beneficiaries and affiliates of powerful and wealthy institutions, has seen an increase in their wealth and assets.
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