Iranian Political Prisoner Sentenced to DeathThey emphasized that the charge attributed to Tabari was announced as “cooperation with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran,” while the only evidence cited in her case was her holding a banner with the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom”; a slogan that, according to the statement, has become particularly common among female political prisoners. In conclusion, the signatories called for Tabari’s immediate release and urged governments around the world to stand alongside the women of Iran in the pursuit of democracy, equality, and freedom. On November 4, Tabari detailed the death sentence issued against her in a letter and, citing legal provisions, described it as “lacking legal basis and indicative of the absence of a fair trial.” In part of her letter, she wrote that her sentence was issued on the charge of “baghi” through alleged membership in the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, and that in addition, she was sentenced to one year in prison on the charge of “propaganda against the regime.” The political prisoner cited the installation of a banner with the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom” and the presence of an audio file on her mobile phone, which she had not sent anywhere, as the evidence in her case.
Over 400 Global Figures Urge Halt to Execution of Iranian Political Prisoner
More than 400 prominent women from across the world and a group of United Nations experts, in separate statements, have called for stopping the execution of Zahra Shahbaz Tabari, a 67-year-old political prisoner held in Lakan Prison in the northern city of Rasht. According to reports, she faces execution for holding a banner bearing the slogan “Woman, Resistance, Freedom.”
The statement by more than 400 prominent women worldwide—including Nobel Prize laureates, former heads of government, members of parliaments, UN special rapporteurs, media figures, leading human rights activists, and sports personalities—was published on Tuesday, December 22.
The signatories condemned the death sentence issued against Tabari and stated that it was handed down after a roughly 10-minute-long “show trial”; a trial that, according to them, was conducted remotely via video conference, during which the political prisoner was denied access to her lawyer of choice.
203 Cases of Femicide Recorded in Iran in Current Year
The human rights organization Hengaw, in a report warning about the rise in femicide in Iran, wrote that during the current year (starting from March 21, 2025), 203 cases of femicide were recorded in the country.
The report states: “Due to the anti-women laws of the Iranian regime, as well as patriarchal and so-called honor-based social relations in Iranian society, a significant portion of femicide cases fall into the category of hidden statistics.”
In another report published on November 25, Hengaw wrote that from the beginning of the current Gregorian year until November 25, 2025, at least 176 cases of femicide were recorded in various cities across Iran, with at least 25 cases motivated by so-called honor.
State Cleric Blames ‘Women Not Wearing Hijab’ For Drought in IranAccording to these statistics, Tehran recorded the highest number of femicides with 27 cases, followed by Mazandaran and Kermanshah with 14 cases each, and Razavi Khorasan and West Azerbaijan with 13 cases each. Additionally, East Azerbaijan recorded 10 cases, Sistan and Baluchestan recorded nine cases, the provinces of Lorestan and Fars each recorded eight cases, and Gilan recorded seven cases, ranking next. Based on these statistics, at least 11 women were killed for rejecting marriage proposals, nine women for requesting divorce, 10 women were victims of child marriage, and six women were victims of forced marriage, all killed by their husbands. On November 24, the HRANA news website, affiliated with a human rights news agency focused on Iran, reported on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women that during the one-year period from November 23, 2024, to November 20, 2025, at least 110 women were killed in Iran, and the organization recorded 181 reports comprising 320 documented cases of violations of women’s rights in Iran. In recent years, cases of femicide in Iran have increased, with a significant portion occurring under the label of “honor killings.”
Execution of 1,050 People and Crackdown on 30,000 Women for Not Wearing the HijabMai Sato, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, said in a report on September 26 regarding the human rights situation in Iran that the absence of a comprehensive law against domestic violence has paved the way for increased violence against women.
100th Week Of ‘No To Executions Tuesdays’ Campaign In 55 Prisons Across Iran
The hundredth week of the “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign continues in 55 different prisons across the country with hunger strikes by prisoners. One hundred weeks of hunger strikes in 55 prisons have shown that even in the most confined wards, it is possible to keep hope alive and raise the voice of justice.
Political prisoners participating in this campaign, after nearly two years, continue the campaign steadfastly and with faith in human values.
The full text of the statement for the hundredth week of the “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign is as follows:
Iran’s Regime Carries Out 335 Executions in November, Highest Toll in 37 YearsThe expansion of the “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign in its hundredth week with the joining of the women’s ward of Yazd Prison One hundred weeks of relentless struggle against the killing machine and the gallows With congratulations on Yalda Night to all compatriots, to imprisoned members of the “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign, and to each and every prisoner sentenced to death, and with the hope for the abolition of the death penalty in a free and prosperous Iran. The “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign, in its hundredth week, despite many ups and downs, acts of courage, and the most painful nights marked by the execution of its comrades and fellow prisoners, continues its path with momentum. One hundred weeks of no to execution, One hundred weeks of relentless struggle against the killing machine and the gallows, One hundred weeks of standing against cruelty and brutality, One hundred weeks of breaking the aura of the gallows and prison, One hundred weeks of calls for resistance by prisoners’ families. One hundred weeks of resistance against a dictatorship that seeks to silence every voice of protest through executions and death squads and to impose itself on society. An illegitimate government that, according to the seventy-second United Nations resolution adopted in the past week, has executed more than 2,000 people in the year 2025 alone so far (meaning more than twice the number in 2024) with the aim of intimidation and repression; this campaign will continue without توقف and will persist until the abolition of the inhuman death penalty. We learned that simultaneously with the hundredth week of the “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign, the women’s ward of Yazd Prison also announced its participation. With greetings and gratitude to these individuals, we hope that other prisons across the country will also join this campaign in the future, and that along this path we will reach a day when the “No to Execution” campaign spreads throughout the country and the groundwork for abolishing the inhuman death penalty is established. The number of executions between November 22 and December 21 has reached 357 people. This wave of killing and execution of prisoners reflects the extremely critical condition of a government that, caught in a vortex of incurable political, social, and economic crises that have made even ordinary daily life impossible for the people, has turned to executing prisoners. In a wholly misguided assessment of Iranian society, it seeks to prevent anticipated protests by displaying such savagery and brutality in executing the youth of this land; however, this unbridled brutality has not and will not cure any of the ills of despotism. Political prisoners participating in the “No To Executions Tuesdays” campaign are on hunger strike in 55 prisons across the country during the hundredth week, on Tuesday, December 23.
Iran’s Regime Conducts Missile Tests at Several Locations
The state-run Fars News Agency reported that missile tests were conducted on Monday, December 22, at several locations across Iran. This comes as the state-run IRIB (Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting) news agency said the published images are not related to an IRGC missile test.
According to Fars News Agency, citing “field observations and public reports,” reports of missile tests were received from Khorramabad, Mahabad, Isfahan, Tehran, and Mashhad.
Some images published on social media show a white missile trail in the sky over several areas inside Iran.
Iranian Regime FM Spokesperson Calls Missile Program ‘Non-Negotiable’However, the Iranian regime’s state-run IRIB news agency said the published images are not related to an IRGC missile test and are not accurate. Quoting “some informed sources,” the outlet stated: “No missile test took place today, and the white trail in the sky is the flight path of an aircraft at high altitude.” Earlier, Axios reported that Israeli officials had warned the Trump administration over the weekend that recent IRGC missile drills could in fact be “Iran’s preparations for a surprise attack on Israel.” An Israeli source told the outlet: “The likelihood of an Iranian attack is less than 50%, but no one is willing to take the risk and say this is merely a test.” At the same time, NBC News reported that Israeli officials believe Iran is developing its ballistic missile program. Ahmad Vahidi, deputy chief of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, rejected claims of damage to Iran’s missile industry, saying: “Our weapons production has never stopped, not even for a single moment.” Abolfazl Shekarchi, senior spokesperson for Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff, also stated that after the 12-day war, “our powerful missile production lines were not shut down for even a moment.”
Economic Crisis Intensifies Academic Decline in Iran
Iran, the state-run newspaper of the Iranian regime, reported that due to cuts in the Ministry of Education’s budget and the decline in people’s incomes, the government and families no longer have the same capacity as before to spend on students’ education.
The newspaper Iran wrote on Monday, December 22, quoting Hadi Mousavi-Nik, head of the Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Policy Group at the Majlis Research Center of the Iranian regime: “Over the past 15 years, government spending on the country’s education system has decreased by 12%, and on the other hand, households no longer have the same ability as before to pay for education.”
Educational Disaster in Iran: 70% of Students Suffering from Learning PovertyAccording to Mousavi-Nik’s statistics, during the 2010s the share of children’s education expenses from total household expenditures was about 4%, but this figure has declined to 2% in recent years. This official from the Majlis Research Center attributed this issue to declining household incomes and added that with the decrease in per capita income, families’ financial ability to pay for educational expenses has weakened. As a result of the Iranian regime’s ineffective policies in the economic, domestic, and foreign policy spheres over recent decades, runaway inflation has severely affected citizens’ lives, especially low-income groups, and the prices of basic goods have seen an unprecedented surge. Numerous reports have also highlighted the impact of the economic crisis on citizens’ mental and physical health and its consequences across various sectors, including the education system.
Deterrent factors in Iran’s education system
Continuing his remarks, Mousavi-Nik identified the reduction in household spending on children’s education as one of the reasons for the decline in students’ average grades. He emphasized: “We have repeatedly observed in society that when economic conditions worsen, deterrent phenomena in students’ education also increase, one of the consequences of which is dropping out of school.” In September, amid continued warnings about a wave of children dropping out of school in Iran, Alireza Kazemi, the Iranian regime’s minister of education, announced that the number of students who have dropped out nationwide has reached 950,000. Farshad Ebrahim-Pour, a member of the Majlis Education Committee, also said in October 2024, referring to hidden statistics on children who have dropped out of school, that in the 2024–2025 academic year about two million students were not enrolled, with economic problems being the main reason.Poverty hinders the progress of future generations
According to reports, Iran’s education crisis is not limited to school dropouts; academic decline has also become a widespread phenomenon, affecting even students who remain within the education system. In its report, the newspaper Iran wrote that statistics show students’ average grades last year fluctuated between eight and 10, heightening concerns about the decline in education quality and the performance of the country’s education system. Mousavi-Nik further stressed that household poverty is a major obstacle to the growth and advancement of future generations. Citing available statistics, he said: “Intergenerational mobility among members of our society has become very weak.” According to this official from the Majlis Research Center, if a person in Iran is in the first income decile, meaning the weakest economic level, there is a 40% probability that the next generation will also remain in the same decile. He added that in contrast, in Canada the probability of individuals not improving their social status compared to their family background is only 20%.Grossi: Bulk of Iran’s Highly Enriched Uranium Stockpiles Remain Inside Country
Rafael Grossi, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said the agency believes that the bulk of the Iranian regime’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles still remain inside Iran.
Grossi said in an interview with the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti on Monday, December 22: “Undoubtedly, we are facing a serious lack of information regarding Iran’s nuclear program, which from a non-proliferation perspective is a very negative matter.”
According to him, even despite severe damage to the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan facilities in U.S. and Israeli bombings, there is a clear understanding that the bulk of the Iranian regime’s highly enriched uranium is being kept inside Iran.
Grossi Rejects Tehran’s Claim That Nuclear Facilities Are Out of ReachThe director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency stressed that this issue is of extraordinary importance from a non-proliferation standpoint. Grossi did not provide details about the status or location of the remaining portion of the Iranian regime’s uranium stockpiles. It is unclear whether his statement that most of these stockpiles are kept inside Iran implies that another portion may have been transferred out of the country and destroyed in the attacks. The Iranian regime possesses more than 400 kilograms of highly enriched uranium and following U.S. and Israeli attacks on nuclear facilities in Iran during the 12-day war, various speculations have been raised about their fate. Grossi stated on October 19 that the Iranian regime keeps most of its enriched uranium stockpiles at the Isfahan, Fordow, and Natanz nuclear facilities, to which agency inspectors do not have access. He later warned on October 29 that agency inspectors had observed movements around the locations where uranium stockpiles are stored. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, said in an interview with the Al Jazeera network on November 3 that the highly enriched uranium stockpiles are buried under the rubble of bombed facilities. He said that until these stockpiles are pulled out from under the rubble, it is not possible to assess how much has remained intact and how much has been destroyed. On November 20, the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency adopted a resolution calling on Tehran to immediately inform the agency about the status of enriched uranium stockpiles and bombed nuclear facilities. Reza Najafi, the Iranian regime’s permanent representative to international organizations in Vienna, said Tehran considers this resolution “unconstructive and political.” The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency had previously warned that if the Iranian regime decides to militarize its nuclear program, the amount of enriched uranium stockpiled in Iran could be sufficient to build about 10 atomic bombs.
Iranian Regime FM Spokesperson Calls Missile Program ‘Non-Negotiable’
Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reacting to reports about a focus on Tehran’s missile program during the upcoming meeting between the Israeli prime minister and the U.S. president and the possibility of another attack on Iran, stated that the regime’s missile capability is “non-negotiable.”
Baghaei said at a press conference on Monday, December 22, that the Iranian regime’s missile program was developed with the aim of “defending national security” and, therefore, is not a subject for “negotiation or bargaining.”
Iran’s Regime Imported 2,000 Tons of Missile Fuel Material from ChinaHe added that these capabilities were formed to prevent “any potential aggression” and are “inviolable.” Referring to speculation about another attack on Iran, the foreign ministry spokesperson added: “Media hype is part of a hybrid war designed against Iran. Nevertheless, the country’s armed forces, with full readiness, know their duties well.” On December 21, during a visit to Israel, Lindsey Graham, a Republican U.S. senator, said there was evidence indicating efforts by the Iranian regime to enrich uranium and revive its missile program. He added that if this is confirmed, Iran should be attacked before it is implemented. NBC News reported on December 20 that Israeli officials believe the Iranian regime is expanding its ballistic missile program and intend, during the upcoming meeting between Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, and U.S. President Donald Trump, to present options for Washington to join or assist Israel in a potential attack on Iran. Axios wrote on December 21 that the Netanyahu government warned the United States about an IRGC missile exercise, describing it as “a cover for preparing” a potential attack on Israel.
Baghaei rules out inspections of bombed facilities
Continuing his remarks, the Iranian regime’s foreign ministry spokesperson rejected reports about Tehran’s role in the killing of Nuno Loureiro, a Jewish nuclear scientist, in the United States, saying: “Criminals assume everyone follows their own creed.” The Israeli newspaper Maariv reported on December 17, 2025, that Israeli officials were examining information about a possible link between Iran’s regime and the killing of this senior nuclear scientist from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. At the same press conference, Baghaei also addressed the outlook for relations between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency and recent remarks by Rafael Grossi, the agency’s director general, regarding the Iranian regime’s obstruction of inspections of bombed Iranian facilities. He said: “There is no reason for a crisis to form, because the matter is clear: as long as we are a member of the Non-Proliferation Treaty and committed to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement, we know well how to implement our obligations.” Grossi said in an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti on December 15 that the agency’s activities in Iran are very limited and inspectors only have access to facilities that have not been targeted by U.S. and Israeli attacks. He also rejected Tehran’s narrative on December 20 that these sites are “unsafe” and inaccessible. Baghaei continued that there is no “protocol” regarding how to inspect damaged facilities and that Grossi’s insistence on inspecting the Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan sites shows he is “seeking political exploitation” of the issue. Criticizing the agency’s stance, he added: “Over a long period, we had the highest number of inspections by the agency, but they did not fulfill their responsibilities and had no reaction against the United States and Israel regarding their actions against Iran’s nuclear facilities.” On December 8, Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, said that resuming agency inspections is currently not possible because there is “no protocol or guideline” for inspecting facilities he described as “peaceful.” Grossi had previously confirmed that Tehran still possesses the capacity to build a nuclear weapon. On May 31, before the war, the International Atomic Energy Agency stated in a confidential report that Iran had carried out clandestine nuclear activities at three locations that have long been under investigation. The Ynet news website reported on December 19 that before the 12-day war, the Iranian regime had been researching the development of fourth-generation nuclear weapons based on pure fusion. According to the report, this research concerned a completely new type of nuclear weapon that no country has so far succeeded in producing.Rising Food Prices Threaten Health of Iran’s Population
Ahmad Esmailzadeh, director general of the Community Nutrition Improvement Office at the Health Ministry of the Iranian regime, warned about the negative consequences of rising food prices—especially dairy products and protein sources—on the nutritional health of Iran’s population.
In an interview with ISNA, a state-run news agency, on Sunday, December 21, Esmailzadeh referred to the continued price hikes in the country and said: “In recent months, concerns about people’s nutrition have multiplied, and there is a fear that people may suffer from nutrient deficiencies.”
Runaway Price Increases and the Shadow of Hyperinflation Over Iran’s EconomyHe added that the Health Ministry has repeatedly warned that rising food prices could lead to people’s “malnutrition,” because “even middle and higher income deciles” under current conditions have reduced their consumption of dairy and protein. In recent weeks, an unprecedented rise in food prices and basic goods in Iran has placed heavy pressure on citizens’ lives. Experts and social activists have warned that the continuation of this trend could have serious consequences, including damage to public health, the spread of malnutrition, and intensified psychological pressure on society.
The need to allocate subsidies for people’s nutrition
Continuing his interview, Esmailzadeh called for the allocation of subsidies in the field of nutrition and stressed that such a subsidy is “not a waste of resources.” He said: “A subsidy for the nutrition sector is a form of prevention against the emergence of chronic diseases in the coming years, which costs far less than treatment.” According to this Health Ministry official of the regime, if the government allocates “one percent of the taxes from food factories” to the Community Nutrition Improvement Office, these resources “could significantly reduce the burden on the country’s healthcare system in the coming years.” On October 20, the Rouydad24 news website reported that with the intensification of the economic crisis and a sharp decline in people’s purchasing power, a growing number of Iranian citizens have lost the ability to secure essential food items, and malnutrition has now become a factor in about 35% of deaths in the country.Warning about the consequences of malnutrition
Esmailzadeh also warned about the long-term consequences of the food crisis in the country and said: “Suffering from malnutrition leads to a reduction in the workforce in the future.” He added: “The effects of reduced consumption of dairy, fruits, vegetables, and legumes will appear in the form of increased chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, strokes, osteoporosis, fractures, and other health problems.” According to Esmailzadeh, the burden resulting from such conditions “will fall on this ministry,” forcing it to spend more on treatment. Following the Iranian regime’s ineffective policies in economic, domestic, and foreign affairs over recent decades, runaway inflation has severely affected citizens’ lives, and the prices of basic goods have faced an unprecedented surge. This comes as Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh, the agriculture minister of the Iranian regime, on October 8 described the trend of rising prices in the country as “logical” and said that food prices in Iran are “cheap even compared to global prices.”Criticism over the lack of practical action to improve conditions
Esmailzadeh stated that if resources are allocated to the Community Nutrition Improvement Office of the Health Ministry, programs such as the distribution of milk in schools would be implemented. At the same time, he acknowledged: “The current situation is such that we constantly have to talk about the worsening of malnutrition or point to the reduction in calcium and protein consumption. Unfortunately, many issues remain only at the level of words and talk, and there is no practical action beyond that.” In November, media in Iran reported that despite the Education Ministry’s promise to distribute milk in Iranian schools, the plan has been implemented in only four provinces. This is while in the current year’s budget, 65 trillion rials (approximately 50 million dollars) had been allocated for the implementation of this plan.Iranian Workers Have No Table to Put Food on as Poverty and Destitution Intensify
At the same time as the deterioration of living conditions for working-class households and wages falling far behind living costs, an inspector from the Iranian regime’s Supreme Council of Islamic Labor Councils said that with this runaway inflation and soaring prices, there is no longer any table left for workers.
Habib Sadeghzadeh Tabrizi told ILNA, a state-run news agency, on Sunday, December 21: “One gram of gold is equivalent to about one month of a worker’s minimum wage,” describing this as indicative of the deep gap between wages approved by the Supreme Labor Council and the real cost of living.
Labor Organizations Indicate that Iran’s Minimum Wage Next Year Must Be 600 Million RialsCurrently, the base wage for workers covered by the Labor Law is close to 110 million rials (approximately 85 dollars) per month. This amount, including benefits, reaches about 150 million rials (approximately 115 dollars) per month. In contrast, some government-aligned labor groups have said that the monthly cost-of-living basket has reached 580 million rials (approximately 654 dollars). Previously, the Haft-Tappeh Sugarcane Workers’ Syndicate, the Coordinating Committee to Help Form Labor Organizations, Khuzestan retired workers, and the Eighth of Azar Retirees’ اتحاد group had stressed in a joint statement that the minimum wage for the coming year should be 600 million rials (approximately 462 dollars). These independent labor and retiree groups had called in 2024 for setting a wage of 400 to 450 million rials (approximately 308 to 346 dollars) for the current year. Referring to Article 41 of the Labor Law, adopted in 1990, Sadeghzadeh Tabrizi said that this legal article, which was supposed to set wages based on inflation and living costs, has today turned into an ineffective text. The two notes of Article 41 of the Labor Law stress that the minimum wage for workers must be set based on the inflation rate and the cost of living of a working-class household. However, over the years, members of the Supreme Labor Council have ignored the second note and set the following year’s wage at a level that has been even lower than that same year’s living costs. Labor activists and independent labor organizations have described this approach as a policy of “wage suppression.” Sadeghzadeh Tabrizi added in his interview with ILNA that the Supreme Labor Council sets wages at the end of each year, but those wages lose their value even before being deposited into workers’ accounts. He added that the wage for 2025 was set based on a dollar exchange rate of 850,000 rials, while now, with only three months remaining until the end of the year (the Iranian New Year begins on March 21, 2026), the dollar has reached a rate of 1.31 million rials. Sadeghzadeh Tabrizi pointed out that the stark gap between official decisions and economic realities has placed workers in a situation where they no longer have the ability to plan their daily lives. In this regard, Majid Rahmati, a board member of the Islamic Labor Council Association of Tehran Province, told ILNA on Friday, December 19: “According to a report by the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare that I reviewed in Azar, household calorie consumption has dropped by about 30% compared to ten years ago.” Emphasizing that reduced consumption of dairy products and basic food items carries social consequences and serious health impacts, he said: “When a family cannot provide an adequate food basket, especially for its child or infant, the ground is effectively laid for illness and malnutrition.” Also according to ILNA, Sadeghzadeh Tabrizi in part of his remarks referred to workers paying taxes and stressed: “Workers whose wages do not even cover basic living expenses should not be subjected to additional tax pressure.” Earlier, Somayeh Golpour, head of the Supreme Association of Workers’ Trade Unions, had suggested to the Eghtesadnews website on Friday, December 19 that because inflation for 2026 is not considered in the cost-of-living basket, “the equivalent of one and a half grams of gold per month from Farvardin to Esfand should form the basis of the minimum wage.” She added that this measure should “also include those who work in contracting jobs, employees who receive the minimum wage, and retirees who are affected.” Golpour also said that another proposal is for the constitutional legal obligations—namely the provision of housing, full and free healthcare, free education, and free transportation—to be implemented. According to her, these are matters that “have existed in the heart of the constitution for years, and deprived groups, lower deciles, workers, and retirees have suffered from their non-implementation.” Golpour noted in this interview that 80% of workers’ wages are spent on housing costs. At the same time as criticism mounts over the living conditions of workers and other wage earners, the government of Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian is seeking, through parliament, to amend Article 41 of the Labor Law by removing the “cost of living” criterion from minimum wage calculations and limiting wage increases solely to the official inflation rate. Ahmad Meydari, the minister of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, said on Wednesday, December 17 about the government’s plan to raise workers’ wages next year: “A law is under review in parliament according to which wage increases must be at least in line with inflation, which we are also taking into account, and after reviewing all these issues, it will become clear how the matter can be pursued with workers and employers.” In this way, the Pezeshkian government is seeking to remove the second note—namely “living costs”—from wage determination calculations. The publication of these remarks has sparked criticism from users in workers’ Telegram groups, with one user describing the labor minister’s proposed move as “decision-making against the people.”
Iran’s Regime Executes Architecture Student on Espionage Charges
The judiciary of the Iranian regime announced that the death sentence of Aqil Keshavarz, an architecture student at Shahrud University, was carried out on charges of “spying for Israel.” Keshavarz’s family had their final visit with him on Friday, December 19, at Urmia Prison.
Mizan News Agency, a media outlet affiliated with the judiciary of the Iranian regime, reported that he was executed on the morning of Saturday, December 20, “after the sentence was confirmed by the Supreme Court and following legal formalities.”
Hours before Keshavarz’s execution, some student and human rights media outlets reported growing concerns about the imminent implementation of his death sentence.
This student from Isfahan had been transferred to a solitary confinement cell at Urmia Prison on December 17 in preparation for the execution.
Iran: 304 Executions in One Month, 1,735 In 2025 So FarOn Thursday afternoon, Keshavarz’s family went to Urmia Prison, but they were told that their son had been transferred to Tehran. They ultimately managed to have a final visit at noon on Friday. During the in-person visit, his mother lost consciousness due to severe emotional stress. Keshavarz had previously been arrested in June, coinciding with the 12-day war with Israel, and was sentenced to death by the Iranian regime’s judiciary on charges of “spying for Israel.” Meanwhile, Mizan News Agency, affiliated with the judiciary, stated that Keshavarz was arrested in May and, without specifying the exact date, wrote that he was detained by patrol agents of the Iranian regime’s army protection unit. In its report, Mizan described Keshavarz as an “agent of Mossad and the Zionist regime’s army,” and listed his alleged “crime” as “espionage” in favor of Israel, “intelligence communication and cooperation” with the country, and “photographing military and security sites.” Earlier, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network had reported that Keshavarz, an architecture student at Shahrud University from Isfahan, was held “for one week” after his arrest at an IRGC Intelligence Organization detention center in Urmia, where he was “interrogated and tortured in order to extract a forced confession of spying for Israel.” According to this report, he was then transferred to Evin Prison and was there at the time of Israel’s bombing of Evin Prison, after which he was moved to another detention facility. Meanwhile, the announcement of Keshavarz’s execution has sparked a wave of criticism and condemnation from social media users. Officials of the Iranian regime have stated that following the 12-day war, more than 700 people have been arrested on suspicion of spying for or collaborating with Israel. According to human rights reports, in addition to prisoners convicted of ordinary crimes, around 70 prisoners facing political charges in Iranian prisons are currently at risk of having their death sentences approved or carried out, and more than 100 others face the possibility of receiving death sentences on similar charges. The issuance and implementation of death sentences by the Iranian regime have drawn widespread international criticism.
