Imprisoned Students Iranian Students: Break The Silence, Rise For Freedom

Jubin Katiraie
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Imprisoned Students Iranian Students: Break The Silence, Rise For Freedom
Amirhossein Moradi and Ali Younesi, students imprisoned in Evin and Ghezel Hesar prisons, wrote notes on the eve of Student Day in which they referred to executions, poverty, and the dictatorship ruling Iran’s regime, emphasizing the necessity of “breaking the silence, the young generation’s struggle for freedom, and the role of the university as the beating heart of protest against tyranny.” They wrote in these notes, published on Friday, December 5, that December 7 is “a symbol of the covenant between generations standing against despotism” and a sign of the continuation of the “struggle for freedom,” adding that the university, despite repression and imprisonment, remains “the beating heart of this path and the source of hope for the spring of freedom” in Iran.
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Remembering fellow students

Moradi opened his note by remembering fellow students Ehsan Faridi and Ahmad Baledi, and described the fate of these two students as a symbol of the continued repression of the student movement—from the risk of execution faced by Faridi to the death of Baledi, who set himself on fire in protest against economic pressure and the destruction of his family’s workplace. He recalled that seventy-two years have passed since December 7, 1953, and wrote of an “execution-driven government” that continues targeting students and, in the face of economic, social, and environmental crises, has resorted to “increasing and massacre-like executions.”
Message of Amirhossein Moradi on the Students Day 2025
Message of Amirhossein Moradi on the Students Day 2025
In his view, the cooperation of the three branches of power and the implementation of orders from the leader of Iran’s regime have cemented this cycle of repression. Moradi listed three paths before society: waiting for foreign intervention, hoping for reform or transformation of the government, and breaking the silence and inaction. He considered the first two paths dead ends and stressed that “democracy does not descend from the sky,” and the only way forward is collective effort for change—a task whose main burden rests on young people and students. Referring to the role of universities in the 2022 nationwide uprising, he called the university the primary capacity for confronting tyranny and addressed students: “Your cries are the answer to this endless suffering! In the winter of the homeland, one must resolve for spring! December 5 is a pact between generations standing against despotism on the path to freedom, and we must uphold this pact and push back the darkness.”

The struggle for freedom

Younesi began his note with the image of the beginning of winter and a calendar leaving autumn behind, writing that although “it is supposed to be always winter” behind prison bars, this winter does not necessarily mean despair. Having been kept away from university and his scientific dreams for more than two thousand days due to imprisonment, he wrote that during this time he has looked to “the lessons of prison and its resilient prisoners.”
Message of Ali Younesi on the Students Day 2025
Message of Ali Younesi on the Students Day 2025
The imprisoned student asked how one can avoid succumbing to the cold in “the most wintry geography,” stressing that this question is not only for prisoners, because dictatorships build “prisons as vast as the country.” He warned that forgetting freedom and pinning hopes on foreign powers to bring a “better jailer” is a form of “humiliation of human will.” Younesi wrote: “Struggle is the very liberation of the fighting human, the burning fire of history, and the exceptional jewel of Iran’s contemporary history in a region full of tyranny. Struggle is what has prevented the cold from taking over in the winter of despotism and behind prison bars.” He described the university as “the beating heart of the arduous path of awareness that leads to struggle” and wrote: “The torch of this path still shines in Baledi’s burned body in protest to poverty and oppression and in Faridi’s steadfastness under the noose of death.” Addressing his “unseen friends” at the university, the imprisoned student wrote that their hearts are the source of the will for this historic responsibility, urging them to place “these mirrors” before one another so that from the will to change, “a storm of revolt and defiance” may rise—a message that, he said, has continued to shine since Student Day and the blood of “the three elementary school friends,” promising “the spring of freedom and the flourishing of Iran.” Younesi, winner of the gold medal in the 2018 International Astronomy and Astrophysics Olympiad, and Moradi, winner of the silver medal in Iran’s 2017 Astronomy Olympiad, are both students of Sharif University of Technology—one of Iran’s leading technical universities. They were arrested in 2020 at the age of nineteen and about two years later were each sentenced by a Revolutionary Court to sixteen years in prison; the portion of their enforceable sentence was reduced in March 2025 to six years and eight months. However, the judiciary opened new cases against them, and on August 9, Branch 29 of the Revolutionary Court sentenced the two students to fifteen months in prison on the charge of “propaganda activities against the system.” In a separate case, Younesi was also sentenced to five years in prison in Kerman on the charge of “endorsing and strengthening Israel.”

US State Dept Sets $10M Reward for Information on Two Iranians Involved in Cyberattacks

Hoshang Amiri
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US State Dept Sets $10M Reward for Information on Two Iranians Involved in Cyberattacks
The U.S. State Department’s “Rewards for Justice” program has offered a reward of up to 10 million dollars for information leading to the identification and location of two Iranians who, acting under the direction of a foreign government and in violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, carried out cyberattacks against U.S. infrastructure. The U.S. State Department released information and photos of Fatemeh Sedighian Kashi and Mohammad Bagher Shirinkar, stating that they are operatives of the Shahid Shushtari group, which is affiliated with the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and has been involved in cyberattack campaigns targeting critical U.S. infrastructure.
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According to the statement, Sedighian and Shirinkar have a close relationship, and Sedighian cooperates with Shirinkar in planning and executing cyber operations.

According to the U.S. State Department:

“Shahid Shushtari is a malicious cyber organization with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Cyber-Electronic Command (IRGC-CEC) that has previously been identified as Aria Sepehr Ayandehsazan (ASA), Ayandeh Sazan Sepehr Arya (ASSA), Emennet Pasargad (Emennet), Eeleyanet Gostar, and Net Peygard Samavat Company.” According to the Rewards for Justice program, members of this group have carried out coordinated cyber and intelligence operations that caused extensive financial damage and disrupted the activities of U.S. companies and government institutions. These campaigns have targeted critical infrastructure in the news, maritime transportation, tourism, energy, financial, and telecommunications sectors in the United States, Europe, and the Middle East. The U.S. report states that since August 2020, operatives of the “Shahid Shushtari” network launched a multi-faceted campaign aimed at targeting the U.S. presidential election. Prior to that, the group had used fake identities to conduct intelligence and cyber-operation planning. The U.S. State Department recalled that on November 18, 2021, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned “Shahid Shushtari,” which was operating at the time under the name Emennet Pasargad (Emennet), along with six of its employees, for attempting to influence the 2020 U.S. election. At the same time, the Rewards for Justice program highlighted the roles of Seyyed Mohammad Hosein Musa Kazemi and Sajjad Kashian in efforts to carry out foreign interference in the U.S. election. The program called on anyone with information about Sedighian and Shirinkar, the “Shahid Shushtari” group, or individuals and entities involved in malicious cyber activities targeting critical U.S. infrastructure or foreign interference in U.S. elections to contact the Rewards for Justice program.

US Stresses Need to Curb Iranian Regime-Backed Militias in Iraq

Mehdi Hosseini
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US Stresses Need to Curb Iranian Regime-Backed Militias in Iraq
Following talks between Michael Rigas, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, and Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, Washington once again emphasized the necessity of dismantling militias affiliated with Iran’s regime in Iraq. The Persian-language account of the U.S. State Department published images of the meeting and referred to earlier remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, writing that the United States “will continue to speak clearly about the need to dismantle Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty, threaten Americans and Iraqis, and loot Iraq’s resources for Iran.” These positions are being reiterated at a time when Iraq’s political developments and broader regional security concerns carry significant implications for the future of the Baghdad government and the balance of power in the Middle East. A few weeks ago, on November 11, Iraq held its parliamentary elections, but various factions have still not reached an agreement on forming the next government.

U.S. warning to Baghdad regarding militia presence in the future government

Washington had previously warned Baghdad explicitly that if any ministry in Iraq’s future government is handed to armed groups supported by Iran’s regime, the United States will not recognize that government.

U.S. support for strengthening Iraqi sovereignty and countering foreign influence

Mark Savaya, the special envoy of President Donald Trump for Iraq, stated a few days earlier in a press release that Washington supports Baghdad’s efforts to counter foreign influence, including Tehran’s influence and its proxy groups. He emphasized the need to end the activities of armed groups operating outside the framework of the Iraqi state and said that Iraq must place all weapons under the control of the legitimate government and organize its security forces under a unified command. The Rigas–Hussein meeting and Washington’s renewed emphasis on dismantling militias linked to Iran’s regime represent only one dimension of the United States’ current regional policy and Iraq’s internal developments. Numerous reports indicate that not only the political future of Baghdad but also regional security—and in particular the state of tensions between Iran’s regime and Israel—are increasingly tied to the role and influence of Iraqi armed groups. Iran’s regime adopted a policy of intervention in regional countries—especially Iraq—from the outset. This policy reached its peak after the fall of Iraq’s former government, and ever since, Iraq has been a battleground between Iran’s regime and its allies on one side and the Iraqi people on the other.

Iran’s Regime Judiciary Chief Announces New Directive to Crack Down on Promoting Improper Hijab

Sia Rajabi
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Iran’s Regime Judiciary Chief Announces New Directive to Crack Down on Promoting Improper Hijab
The head of Iran’s regime judiciary has threatened firm action against institutions described as “promoters of indecency and improper hijab.” Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei said punishments would become harsher and that violator businesses—such as shops, cafes, and restaurants—would be sealed for long periods. Ejei is a long-time judicial figure within Iran’s regime and is known for his role in politically motivated prosecutions. Speaking during his trip to Yazd, Ejei said he had recently issued a directive obligating intelligence agencies to identify what he called “organized networks promoting indecency and improper hijab.”
State Cleric Blames ‘Women Not Wearing Hijab’ For Drought in Iran
He added that Iran’s police force “is legally responsible for confronting obvious crimes… when a person is officially half-naked or naked, there will be legal action in such cases.” The judiciary chief said: “Violating businesses, such as restaurants and coffee shops, have also been notified that if actions contrary to law and Sharia occur on their premises, firm and legal measures will be taken, and it will no longer be the case that a violating business is sealed only for a short time.” Ejei made these remarks at Yazd’s Administrative Council, one day after comments by Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran’s regime, regarding compulsory hijab and women’s attire. Khamenei is the regime’s highest authority and directly influences judicial and security policies. The leader of Iran’s regime yesterday criticized what he called Western ideas about women’s freedom and warned media outlets not to repeat such views. Ejei’s warning about confronting the promotion of “indecency and improper hijab” comes as dozens of regime parliament members recently sent a letter to the judiciary chief demanding enforcement of the hijab law. Iran’s parliament is dominated by factions aligned with Khamenei. Ejei also said: “I am not saying that only coercive measures should be taken in this matter, but I emphasize that this situation must not continue.” He also addressed ceremonies and conferences in which women do not observe the attire mandated by the regime, adding: “Regarding chastity and hijab, and the problems arising in conferences and events, we will hold the officials who issue permits accountable as well.” Yesterday—December 3—Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran’s regime, met with a group of women and, while criticizing “Western culture,” said: “When discussing hijab, women’s attire, and cooperation between men and women, domestic media must not repeat and amplify the words of Westerners.” At the same time, members of Iran’s parliament also warned about what they called the “growth of indecency and a nudity movement” in the country. Ali Khamenei told state media: “The profound and effective view of Islam must be presented and amplified domestically and globally; this is the best way to promote Islam and will attract many people of the world, especially women, to it.” One week ago, Elias Hazrati, the head of the government’s information council, confirmed that the leader of Iran’s regime had issued instructions to the government on “cultural and social matters.” Hazrati is a long-time political figure who often conveys guidance passed down from Khamenei’s office. It is said that this directive was issued after the Intelligence Ministry sent Khamenei a report on the “status of hijab” and other social issues. Hazrati stated that the report addressed at least 23 social matters.

Inside Iran’s ‘White SIM Cards’ Scandal

Mehdi Hosseini
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Inside Iran’s ‘White SIM Cards’ Scandal
With the new update on the X platform, which shows users’ locations, it became clear that a number of Iranian journalists and political figures are using unfiltered internet access known as “white SIM cards”—a privilege available to only about 16,000 people out of a population of 90 million. In Iran, accessing platforms like X is only possible through VPNs, and the display of “Iran” as a user’s location means they are connected to the internet without filtering. The revelation triggered widespread debate, as many white SIM card holders are the same individuals who shape narratives in the media and influence newsroom agendas. Some of them were publicly critical of the government. Among these accounts were even those that, using white SIM access, promoted the return of monarchy in Iran and expressed support for Israel. The purpose of Iran’s regime in creating such accounts has been to discredit the opposition groups such as the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) abroad and create despair inside Iran about democratic change. X users, by posting thousands of screenshots, claimed that a significant portion of the highly active accounts promoting Reza Pahlavi and the restoration of monarchy were operating not from Europe or the United States but from inside Iran, mainly from major cities. According to screenshots posted up to November 25, 2025, the locations of many of these accounts showed the following cities: Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Karaj, Qom, Ahvaz, and Kermanshah. Some of these accounts changed their location setting to “region” after being exposed, but the original screenshots are still available. Some of these accounts have blue verification badges and as many as 20,000 followers, operating without any filtering restrictions. Critics argue that these accounts, by posting coordinated content and extreme slogans, exaggerate support for Reza Pahlavi while undermining the main opposition movements and the broader popular uprising. Earlier, reports by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz and the Canadian research institute Citizen Lab in October 2025 had already exposed an organized network of thousands of fake accounts and AI-generated content aimed at legitimizing Reza Pahlavi, the son of the former shah. Public opinion is now asking how people who claim to support free access to information simultaneously benefit from a privilege that turns the internet into a class-based and exclusive commodity. In the “About This Account” section on X, details such as connection method and country of activity are displayed. If the user is connected through an Android phone, their real location is recorded, which is why many white-SIM users appeared with an “Iran” location. VPN users appear with a shield icon, whereas white-SIM users show no such VPN marker. A location reading “Bulgaria” often indicates Starlink usage—a service not officially available in Iran and accessible only if activated in another country and used via roaming. Criticism intensified when it emerged that a significant number of reformist-leaning journalists—individuals whose accounts of government pressure had long been amplified in the media—were using unfiltered internet. This contradicted their public claims of opposing class-based internet access. One example involved the sister of Elaheh Mohammadi—an Iranian journalist who served a few months in jail—who switched her account to private after her location was revealed and claimed that during the twelve-day conflict, her SIM card “was unintentionally turned white,” a claim widely doubted by users. In the following days, state-run media defended white SIM cards. The state-run Tabnak website called the exposure of user locations a “conspiracy” and claimed it aimed to damage Iran’s media credibility and create division between the public and media elites. Other state-run outlets echoed this narrative. The origins of class-based internet access go back to 2019, when the communications minister at the time first acknowledged the existence of such privileged connectivity. This was seen again in November 2019, when public internet was shut down for one week, yet a limited number of journalists remained active on Twitter. A revelation by political analyst Abbas Abdi—who himself also has a white SIM card—showed that about 16,000 people have access to this privilege. Many of these individuals, who are publicly perceived as government critics, have in practice been guiding mainstream narratives in state media and on social networks. According to sources close to these groups, in private gatherings and online channels, coordinated decisions were made regarding promoting figures such as Masoud Pezeshkian, defending his ministers, encouraging election participation, and attacking opposition users and groups. For years, a large segment of reformist-leaning journalists has enjoyed this special access. During the 2024 elections, many of the major hashtags originated from these groups, who then encouraged other users through private messages to join in. The new revelation on X merely confirmed that Iran’s information ecosystem—even among those who appear to be critics of the government—is built on unequal access to the internet. This privileged access allows a small group to shape dominant narratives, while the majority of society must struggle through filters and disruptions to reach open internet.

Washington Post: Actions of Tehran’s Leaders Are Clear Example of What Not to Do in Running an Economy

Jubin Katiraie
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Washington Post: Actions of Tehran’s Leaders Are Clear Example of What Not to Do in Running an Economy
The Washington Post, in a report about Iran’s water shortage crisis, wrote: Iran is best known as an exporter of terror and mayhem around the Middle East, but its leaders also provide a great example of how not to run an economy. Consider the country’s decades-long dalliance with industrial policy. The paper wrote on Tuesday, December 2, that trade restrictions and insistence on self-sufficiency have prevented Tehran from compensating for low agricultural output through imports. If international trade made countries worse and industrial policy made them better, Iran should by now have been a wealthy nation. The Washington Post, referring to decades of industrial policy in Iran, wrote about the regime’s emphasis on “self-sufficiency” and “producing all food domestically,” noting that the problem is that water is the foundation of agriculture—and Iran is running out of it. The paper wrote that Iran, with a population of 90 million, has a predominantly dry climate and lacks significant comparative advantage in large-scale agriculture. The government has attempted to create such an advantage by subsidizing fertilizer, promising to buy crops, and offering farmers favorable loans.
Iran’s Water Crisis is Getting Worse
The Washington Post noted that after the February 1979 revolution, the amount of irrigated land nearly doubled, adding that these policies created millions of agricultural jobs and led farms to produce crops they could not have produced without government support. However, critics of central planning had long predicted that these policies would eventually result in water shortages. In this regard, the state-run Mehr News Agency wrote on November 29 that due to last year’s drought, wheat production had fallen by more than 30%. The current water crisis in Iran is not merely the result of drought but the consequence of decades of mismanagement and failed policies. Officials of Iran’s regime ignored expert warnings for years, delayed urgent reforms needed for sustainability, and are now disrupting the lives of millions through policies such as water rationing. These policies belong to a regime that has sacrificed Iran’s natural resources and ecosystems for its political interests—and now the people of Iran are paying the price. In part of its report, the Washington Post drew parallels between the ideological governments of Iran’s regime and the former Soviet Union, and the inefficiency they imposed on agriculture. It wrote that in a market economy, farmers, faced with water scarcity, would adopt more efficient irrigation methods or cultivate different crops. The Washington Post added that free trade would allow farmers to offset production shortages by purchasing goods from other countries better suited for growing them. But in Iran’s regime and the former Soviet Union, agriculture had to continue regardless of circumstances, with politicians claiming it was necessary for national security. According to the paper, the result was predictable. Today in Iran, water levels behind dams near Tehran are dangerously low, and water is being rationed. Meanwhile, the capital is not the only place facing shortages and rationing. Some regime officials have spoken of the possibility of water rationing in Mashhad and Isfahan as well. The Washington Post also referred to remarks by Massoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, who had spoken about relocating the nation’s capital. The paper noted that supporters of industrial policy often cite a few seemingly successful examples—mostly in East Asia—when arguing for greater government intervention in economic direction but emphasized that these cases are exceptions. To demonstrate this, the Washington Post pointed to various sectors in Japan and China where industrial policies either fail or succeed only at enormous cost—costs that outweigh the benefits.

357 Dead From Air Pollution In Tehran In One Week

Sia Rajabi
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357 Dead From Air Pollution In Tehran In One Week
With the continued inability of Iran’s regime to control pollution sources, air pollution has kept many Iranian cities in a state of crisis. Mohammad-Esmaeil Tavakoli, the head of Tehran’s emergency services, told the state-run ISNA news agency on November 30: “Of the 57,000 calls over the past eight days, 31% were related to respiratory and cardiac problems caused by air pollution. This means every three minutes one person has called 115 because of Tehran’s toxic air. In November, 22% of the 93,000 emergency missions were for the same reason. Iran’s regime still avoids closing schools and factories because it will not halt the production of even dirtier petrochemical gasoline. In the past eight days, 357 people have lost their lives due to complications from air pollution.”
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A shortage of four hundred emergency bases and five hundred ambulances

Tavakoli stated plainly: “Tehran is short four hundred emergency bases and five hundred ambulances. When one ambulance is stationed in Vanak Square, seven million people fall out of the service radius. Iran’s regime has not had the money to purchase ambulances for years, but it doubles the budget for building intercontinental ballistic missiles every year.” On Monday, December 1, Tehran’s air quality was again in the red zone for the tenth consecutive day, and two-thirds of government offices in the capital were rendered inactive. According to reports, from March 21 to November 25, Tehran experienced six clean days, 123 acceptable days, 106 unhealthy days for sensitive groups, 16 unhealthy days, two very unhealthy days, and two hazardous days. Sadegh Hassanvand, head of the Air Pollution Research Center at the University of Tehran, told the state-run outlet Eghtesad120 that the power plants in Alborz and Qazvin provinces use fuels that have deadly effects on public health. He added: “The sulfur standard for power-plant fuel is fifty, but the power plants around Tehran burn horrifying fuels with sulfur levels of thirty thousand, which are extremely harmful to public health.” Despite the persistence of this crisis, officials of Iran’s regime have still not introduced or implemented any effective or lasting solutions to reduce air pollution in the capital or other major cities, continuing instead to rely on temporary closures and short-term decisions. At the same time, the director-general of crisis management in Hormozgan Province announced that on Wednesday, December 3, government offices were closed due to rising cases of influenza. In Kurdistan Province, the spread of influenza also led to the closure of schools and universities on December 3.

An Island Nation in the Pacific Ocean Enables Iran’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ to Evade Sanctions

Mehdi Hosseini
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An Island Nation in the Pacific Ocean Enables Iran’s ‘Shadow Fleet’ to Evade Sanctions
Agence France-Presse (AFP), citing sanctions-data analysis, reported that dozens of oil tankers suspected of smuggling crude for Iran and Russia have used a coastal office in the Cook Islands—located in the tropical South Pacific—to hide traces of their activities. Next to a pizza shop in the remote Cook Islands sits the small but growing headquarters of one of the world’s ship-registration companies.
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According to AFP, foreign shipowners can, without ever setting foot in this tiny palm-covered nation, pay fees to “Maritime Cook Islands,” the Cook Islands maritime authority, to operate their vessels under its flag. U.S. sanctions data identified twenty tankers registered in the Cook Islands suspected of smuggling fuel for Russia and Iran between 2024 and 2025. Another fourteen tankers flying the Cook Islands flag were also blacklisted in a separate UK sanctions database for the same period. New Zealand—historically the Cook Islands’ closest diplomatic partner—responded to the report by stating that undermining sanctions-related efforts is “concerning and infuriating.” A spokesperson for Winston Peters, New Zealand’s foreign minister, whose country maintains close ties with the Cook Islands through a “free-association” pact, said this is a completely unacceptable and indefensible divergence in foreign policy. According to him, New Zealand has repeatedly conveyed its serious concerns over the Cook Islands’ ship-registry management in recent years. The Cook Islands Maritime Authority, responsible for ship registration, denied any failure in due diligence or sheltering sanctioned vessels and said any such ships would be removed from its registry. In recent years, multiple reports have documented global networks of shell companies used to help Iran evade international oil sanctions. In one example, the Financial Times, in August, identified an Iranian broker named Saeed Alikhani and presented a new picture of the illicit oil-transfer network moving sanctioned Iranian, Russian, and Venezuelan crude to China. According to that report, thirty tankers moved at least 130 million barrels of oil—worth roughly 9.6 billion dollars—over about six years.

The shadow fleet

Western sanctions aim to limit revenue from Iranian and Russian oil sales in order to reduce funding for Iran’s regime’s nuclear program and for Russia’s war in Ukraine. With the start of Donald Trump’s second presidential term, a new phase of the U.S. “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran’s regime began. One-third of U.S. sanctions target Iran’s shipping sector. A shipping company based in the United Arab Emirates was accused in April of smuggling “millions of dollars” worth of fuel on behalf of Iran’s regime military in the Persian Gulf. The company owned tankers flying the flags of Barbados, Gambia, Panama, and the Cook Islands. These vessels are said to be components of the maritime smuggling network known as the “shadow fleet,” which evades sanctions by posing as cargo ships engaged in legitimate missions. They hide their trail by registering in countries such as the Cook Islands, where regulatory scrutiny is far lighter. Most registries remain unaware of the vessels’ true purpose. Many maritime registries, including that of the Cook Islands, do not publicly disclose their fees or revenues, but AFP estimated that a 30-thousand-ton tanker may pay around 10,000 dollars in registration fees. Cook Islands budget documents show that government revenue from maritime fees has grown by more than 400% over the past five years, reaching roughly 175,000 dollars in the most recent fiscal year.

Iran Marks One Driest Autumns in Past 50 Years

Esmaeil Mohades
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Iran Marks One Driest Autumns in Past 50 Years
Ahad Vazifeh, head of the National Center for Climate and Crisis Management at Iran’s Meteorological Organization, explained the unusually low precipitation this autumn and announced that Iran has experienced “one of the driest autumns of the past five decades.” Vazifeh is a senior official within Iran’s state meteorological system. On Monday, December 1, he described such a dry autumn as “extremely rare” in recorded climate statistics and said that after around seventy days of autumn, many areas of the country have received no rain or snow.
Iran’s Water Crisis is Getting Worse
Vazifeh added: “In nearly three decades of working in meteorology, I have never seen such a situation, and statistical data from the past five decades confirm this.” This official from the Meteorological Organization emphasized that the unprecedented drought is not limited to Iran and that other countries in the region are also facing similar conditions. Data from Iran’s Meteorological Organization show that the national average precipitation from the beginning of the season until November 28 has been only 3.9 millimeters, indicating an 88.3% decrease compared to the long-term average. Earlier, several officials and experts had warned that Iran is on the verge of one of its most critical water-scarce years. Experts say the main problem lies in the policies of Iran’s regime — from hasty dam construction to inefficient agriculture and fragmented resource management — which have pushed the country to the brink of “water bankruptcy.” On December 1, the state-run ISNA news agency reported, citing the latest data, that water inflow into the country’s dam reservoirs has decreased by 38% compared to last year. At present, the volume of water stored in Iran’s dams is only 32% of their total capacity, and sixteen dams in the country are less than 10% full.

Possibility of incoming precipitation systems next week and in winter

The head of the National Center for Climate and Crisis Management continued by noting that, based on weather models, precipitation systems are likely to enter the country starting this week. Vazifeh explained that the rainfall expected to begin on December 1 in the northern coasts, as well as in the northwest and west, will not be heavy but will represent a noticeable change compared to current conditions. According to him, another system will enter the country in the middle of next week, and by the end of that week, suitable rainfall is expected in the west, southwest, and the southern slopes of the Alborz Mountains, including Tehran, and that “the northern highlands of Tehran will be completely covered in snow.” In recent days, new dimensions of Iran’s water shortage crisis have come to light, sounding a serious alarm for people’s daily lives and for the ongoing operations of many industries. On November 29, ISNA reported that Iran has entered one of the most complex historical periods in its water sector, and that the drying of wetlands, unprecedented drops in humidity, reduced cloud cover, and intensified land subsidence paint a worrying picture of the country’s climatic future.

97th Week of Iran’s ‘No To Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign in Fifty-Five Prisons

Sia Rajabi
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97th Week of Iran’s ‘No To Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign in Fifty-Five Prisons
The ninety-seventh week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign is continuing in fifty-five prisons across the country with prisoners on hunger strike. This week, marked by a sharp rise in executions, has been one of the bloodiest periods of 2025, with nearly 100 prisoners executed in a ten-day span. Political prisoners in Iran’s prisons, referring to the approaching Iran’s Student Day (December 7), emphasized that repression, imprisonment, and executions have not been able to stop students from pursuing the struggle for freedom. They stressed that once again, universities have become targets of authoritarian attacks, and this time the political prisoner Ehsan Faridi, a twenty-three-year-old student, is facing a potential death sentence on charges of advocating freedom, placing his life in grave danger.
More Than Sixty Executed in Iran in November; Alerts Raised Over Upcoming Political Executions
The full text of this statement is provided below: Continuation of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign in the ninety-seventh week across fifty-five prisons We begin the ninety-seventh week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign on the eve of December 7, Student Day. Since December 7, 1953, universities have remained the beating heart and the vanguard of the struggle against dictatorship. On this day, we honor the memory of all those who lost their lives for freedom, especially students who became victims of enforced disappearance, including Saeed Zeinali, who disappeared following the 1999 attack on the Tehran University dormitory and has never been seen again. This is one example among hundreds of students and citizens who have been victimized by authoritarian rulers — an immense injustice inflicted upon their families and grieving mothers. Yet repression, imprisonment, and executions have not managed to stop students from their pursuit of freedom. And now, once again during these days, universities have come under attack by authoritarian forces, with political prisoner Ehsan Faridi, a twenty-three-year-old student, facing a potential death sentence on charges of advocating freedom, placing his life at serious risk. In the past week, we witnessed an expanding wave of executions, with nearly 100 prisoners executed in the past ten days, including two women. One execution was even carried out in public to spread fear among the population. With this, the number of executions since March 21, 2025, has reached 1,564 — an unprecedented figure in the past three decades, triggering global outrage against the regime’s criminal use of the death penalty.
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Now, with this sweeping wave of executions, it is expected that the political community, student activists, and all awakened consciences will join in supporting prisoners sentenced to death and stand with the families seeking justice. They must raise the voice of “No to Executions” in every possible way so that the regime’s main tool of repression is taken away from the ruling clerical authority, clearing the path toward freedom and the people’s right to self-determination. Political prisoners participating in the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign are on hunger strike on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, in the ninety-seventh week, across fifty-five prisons in the country.
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