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Iran’s Razavi Khorasan Province Holds Record For 20-CM Subsidence in Iran

Mehdi Hosseini
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Iran’s Razavi Khorasan Province Holds Record For 20-CM Subsidence in Iran

An Iranian regime official warned that the rate of land subsidence in Razavi Khorasan Province, eastern Iran, is 20 centimeters per year, and the subsidence has now reached “northwest of Mashhad.”

According to the state-run news agency ILNA, Ali Beitollahi, the secretary of the National Task Force on Earthquakes and Ground Displacement, stated that based on “studies” on the subsidence situation in Razavi Khorasan Province, “the subsidence areas in this province are five times larger than the subsidence areas in Isfahan.”

He said that currently, this province “holds the national record for the extent of subsidence areas” and warned that if human-induced subsidence continues at this rate, “the entire area of Mashhad will also be affected.”

Previously, Masoumeh Amighpey, the head of the Precise Leveling and Radar Interferometry Department of the National Cartographic Center of Iran, mentioned the creation of a comprehensive database on land subsidence and stated that the range of land subsidence has infiltrated 16 metropolitan areas in Iran, with 800 cities also located in subsidence zones.

According to Iranian media, during a webinar, she identified the worst risk of land subsidence as the threat to food security and explained that land subsidence causes soil loss and rapidly destroys agricultural lands, such as the Varamin plain, where some areas are no longer suitable for farming.

Salinization of groundwater, creation of sinkholes, and surface fissures are among the consequences of land subsidence, leading to devastating environmental damage.

According to this government official, the provinces of Semnan, Qazvin, Tehran, Alborz, Razavi Khorasan, and Kerman are in a critical situation regarding land subsidence.

Meanwhile, the director of the Earthquake and Risk Management Department at the Road, Housing, and Urban Development Research Center of Iran announced that of the 63 globally registered sites, 27 are at risk of land subsidence. Additionally, 16 centers and 18 active oil storage facilities are located in subsidence areas.

According to several critical experts, misguided policies, lack of proper planning, and mismanagement by the Iranian regime in the water sector are significant factors contributing to land subsidence and the environmental crisis in Iran.

Iran’s Regime Is Expanding Its Nuclear Enrichment Capacity

Mehdi Hosseini
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Iran’s Regime Is Expanding Its Nuclear Enrichment Capacity

Reuters news agency reported on Wednesday, June 12, citing diplomats, that the Iranian regime has expanded its uranium enrichment capacity at two of its underground sites in response to a resolution by the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

On June 5, the IAEA Board of Governors passed a resolution calling on the Iranian regime to “immediately” answer the questions from IAEA inspectors about the origin of uranium particles found at its undeclared sites.

The Iranian regime has previously responded to IAEA Board of Governors’ resolutions and following the passage of the previous resolution in 2022, it increased its uranium enrichment level to 60%, which is close to the level required for producing nuclear weapons.

Five diplomats, who requested anonymity, told Reuters that this time the Iranian regime intends to install more centrifuge cascades, uranium enrichment devices, at one of its underground facilities.

Three of these diplomats added that IAEA inspectors monitoring Iran’s progress are scheduled to present a report to IAEA member countries on Thursday regarding this matter.

Reuters, citing these diplomats, wrote that it is unclear why the scale of Iran’s response was less than expected, but “perhaps they are waiting for the new administration to take office.”

However, these diplomats said it is necessary to wait for the IAEA report to see a more detailed account of the expansion of enrichment capacity in Iran.

The IAEA Board of Governors’ resolution against Iran was passed on June 5 with 20 votes in favor. Additionally, two countries, China and Russia, opposed it, and 12 countries abstained.

The resolution considers the presence of experienced IAEA inspectors to monitor Iran’s nuclear activities to be “vital” and calls on Iran to lift the ban on these inspectors.

Officials from the Iranian regime’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the adoption of this resolution an “unconstructive” action. The spokesperson for the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization also stated that they would not yield to pressure.

The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it is committed to continuing technical cooperation with the IAEA “within the framework of its international rights and obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty and the Safeguards Agreement.”

According to the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the issuance of this resolution “has no impact on the determination to continue the peaceful use of nuclear energy” in accordance with the country’s rights under relevant international treaties.

Iran’s Regime Releases French Hostage Louis Arnaud

Sia Rajabi
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Iran’s Regime Releases French Hostage Louis Arnaud

Louis Arnaud, a French citizen imprisoned in Iran who had been sentenced to five years on security charges, returned to Paris on Thursday after being released from prison.

According to images broadcast on French television, Louis Arnaud, tired but smiling, disembarked from a small plane at Le Bourget Airport in the suburbs of Paris, shook hands with Stéphane Séjourné, the French Foreign Minister, and then embraced his parents.

Holding hands with his relatives, Arnaud entered a private room at the airport, away from the cameras.

Stéphane Séjourné expressed happiness over the return of the French hostage.

He added that our diplomatic service is still working to free three other French citizens: Jacques Paris, Cécile Kohler, and a man known only as Olivier, who are being held in Iranian prisons.

Arnaud, a 36-year-old consultant, began a world tour in July 2022, which brought him to Iran.

His mother, Sylvie, said a few months ago that it was a country he had long wished to visit because of its rich history and hospitable people.

But on September 28, 2022, he was arrested along with other Europeans accused of participating in protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Morality Police.

While Arnaud’s companions were soon released, he was held in prison until his November sentencing on charges of propaganda and harming Iran’s national security.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, June 12, thanked Oman for its mediation and all those who played a role in Louis Arnaud’s release.

The French President also called on the Iranian regime to unconditionally release the other French citizens imprisoned in Iran.

4 French citizens imprisoned in Iran
4 French citizens imprisoned in Iran

Cécile Kohler, a teacher and union activist, and her partner Jacques Paris, who had traveled to Iran on tourist visas, were arrested in Iran on May 1, 2022.

Earlier, Bernard Phelan, a 64-year-old French-Irish citizen, and Benjamin Brière, a 38-year-old French tourist, both detained in Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, were released on May 11, 2024.

Fariba Adelkhah, an Iranian-French researcher who had been released last winter but had been barred from leaving the country for months, was finally able to leave Iran and return to France.

Tehran has long used hostage-taking as a major component of its foreign policy to pressure its counterparts to give it concessions.

Human rights activists have consistently condemned this “hostage-taking” policy of the Iranian regime, calling these detentions “arbitrary.”

World Bank Report: Iran’s Economic Growth Will Decelerate Over the Next Three Years

Esmaeil Mohades
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World Bank Report: Iran’s Economic Growth Will Decelerate Over the Next Three Years

In its latest report on the global economic situation, the World Bank states that Iran’s GDP has been higher in recent years due to increased oil exports. However, this year and in the coming years, it will follow a downward trend.

According to this report, published on Wednesday, June 12, Iran’s GDP grew by 5% last year, but it is expected to decrease to 3.2% this year, 2.7% next year, and 2.4% in 2026.

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had previously published a similar assessment of the deceleration in Iran’s GDP growth.

The World Bank attributes Iran’s 5% economic growth in 2023 to the country’s exemption from the OPEC oil production cut agreement, which led to increased oil exports and production, along with a relative improvement in the service sector.

Reports from Iran’s Central Bank and the Statistical Center of Iran also indicate that the relatively high economic growth last year was due to a 21% increase in the oil sector and a 17% increase in government spending (at constant 2011 prices).

Data from the commodity information company Kpler shows that Iran’s oil exports reached 1.5 million barrels in mid-winter last year, which is 50% more than the same period in 2022. However, there has been no growth since then.

OPEC statistics indicate that from the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21), Iran’s daily oil production reached 3.207 million barrels, which is 23% more than last March. However, it has only grown by 20,000 barrels since then.

According to the World Bank, Iran’s economic growth is expected to be only 3.2% in 2024, but this growth is also facing challenges such as sanctions, global oil demand, and domestic energy shortages.

Iran faces severe power shortages in the summer, forcing power cuts in the industrial sector, which affects the country’s industrial production.

In winter, the country also faces a severe gas deficit, and the government restricts gas supply to the cement, steel, and petrochemical sectors.

The annual loss due to electricity and gas outages in Iran’s industrial sector is estimated to be around $5-$8 billion.

The World Bank also predicts that global economic growth this year will be around 2.6%, which is unchanged from last year, and will be around 2.7% for the next two years.

Two Americans Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Sell Iranian Oil

Mehdi Hosseini
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Two Americans Sentenced to Prison for Conspiring to Sell Iranian Oil

The United States Department of Justice announced that a court in the country has tried and sentenced two men from the state of Texas to 45 months in prison on Tuesday, June 11, for attempting to sell Iranian oil and violating U.S. sanctions.

According to the department, 43-year-old Chinese citizen Zhenyu Wang and 42-year-old Daniel Ray Lane from McKinney, Texas, tried to sell Iranian oil from July 2019 to February 2020, evading U.S. sanctions against Iran.

The U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement states that the two defendants concealed the origin of the oil and sold it to a refinery in China.

Daniel Ray Lane is the director of the Texas-based private company Stack Royalties, which is an intermediary investment company for private equity groups and investment funds in the oil and gas sector.

Previously, a U.S. court jury found Genevieve Wang and Daniel Ray Lane guilty in November. At the time, Paul Hetzenker, Lane’s attorney, stated that the case was based on the claims of a U.S. government undercover agent who had offered Lane the prospect of “millions of dollars in profits” if he participated in the scheme.

These two, along with three others, were accused in 2020 in a U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania of evading U.S. sanctions against Iran’s regime. Court documents show that they had pleaded guilty at the time.

After the U.S. imposed sanction on Iranian oil exports in 2018, China became the only major importer of Iranian oil.

Strikes by Workers and Retirees in Iran

Esmaeil Mohades
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Strikes by Workers and Retirees in Iran

A group of retirees gathered on Tuesday, June 11, in Tehran and Kermanshah to protest against poor living conditions and the lack of attention to their demands. Simultaneously, contract workers at Isfahan Petrochemical and Firuzabad Sodium Carbonate went on strike.

According to reports from professional sources, a number of retirees from the National Pension Fund, Social Security, and Medical Sciences held a protest in front of relevant institutions, including the Organization of Planning and Budget.

In these protests, which coincide with the Iranian regime’s preparations for elections to determine Ebrahim Raisi’s successor from the Guardian Council’s approved candidates, the retired protesters chanted: “Lying candidate, where are your promises?”

At the large gathering of retirees in Tehran in front of the Organization of Planning and Budget, slogans were also chanted: “Whoever opposes the teachers, will fall; where are the officials?”

The retired protesters also chanted: “Our strength is our unity; ranking is our right.”

Reports indicate that in the Kermanshah gathering, slogans included: “Scream, scream about all this oppression,” “Let go of the headscarf, think of us,” “Unemployment, inflation, the scourge of the people,” “Imprisoned teacher must be freed,” and “Imprisoned worker must be freed.”

At the same time, workers at Kaveh Sodium Carbonate Company in Firuzabad, Fars Province, went on strike for the third consecutive day, protesting “wage and benefits conditions.”

Earlier, the regime’s ILNA news agency quoted “a labor source” in Semnan Province saying: the main demands of the workers are “the formation of an Islamic labor council, a wage increase with overtime pay, bonuses, and other job benefits emphasized in their protest last week.”

One of the workers at this factory told ILNA: “In March, we held several labor protests, requesting the management to form a labor institution and increase wages. With the intervention of officials, the employer promised to fulfill this within a few months, but except for the formation of an Islamic labor council, the rest of the workers’ demands were ignored.”

Additionally, a group of contract workers employed at Esfahan Petrochemical went on strike and held a protest on Tuesday, objecting to not receiving their wages.

Moreover, a number of laid-off workers from the Ilam Arghwan Gostar Petrochemical Company project held a protest in front of the entrance to the complex on Tuesday.

These workers, most of whom worked in connections, installation, and equipment, became unemployed with the completion of the project.

According to ILNA, they said that after years of effort on this project, it is their right to be employed after the Ilam Arghwan Gostar Petrochemical starts operations.

Economic protests in Iran continue as news sources have announced that the Iranian regime’s government has not only failed to control inflation but has also broken an 80-year record, with the inflation rate exceeding 52%.

According to the decree of the Supreme Labor Council, the minimum wage for workers subject to the labor law, who are married and have children, with an increase of about 20 million rials (approximately $33), is about 110 million rials (approximately $184) this year. However, this wage is not paid to workers who are not subject to the labor law.

Increase in the Migration of Doctors from Iran

Jubin Katiraie
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Increase in the Migration of Doctors from Iran

The exact statistics on the migration of Iranian doctors are not publicly announced; however, the trend of healthcare staff migrating is on the rise, with the main destinations being Oman and other Arab countries.

Ramezan Sharif, the spokesperson for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), recently described the statistics on doctor migration as a “media attack against the Islamic Republic.”

The issue of doctor and healthcare staff migration was declared a “crisis” in 2022 when Mohammad Raeiszadeh, the head of the Iranian Medical Council, stated that over 4,027 doctors had requested “Good Standing” certificates for migration the previous year.

At that time, he expressed concern that if this trend continued, Iran would either have to import foreign doctors or go to neighboring countries for even simple surgeries.

Dissemination of Information or Enemy Psychological Warfare?

In March 2024, the regime’s official news agency, IRNA, citing leaked information from the Medical Council, reported that the number of its members who had obtained Good Standing certificates for migration had increased from 750 in 2018 to over 6,000 in 2022.

Officials from the Nursing Council have also stated that approximately 3,000 nurses obtain Good Standing certificates annually for migration.

Last year, the Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper reported that the latest official statistics on doctor migration were from 2019, when 3,000 migrations were recorded. At the same time, Dr. Reza Laripour, spokesperson for the National Medical Council, estimated the number of departures to be double this figure. The newspaper also quoted an “informed source” stating that “around 5,000 doctors migrated in 2021.” Considering the claim that doctor migration figures have doubled, it can be said that around 10,000 doctors left Iran in 2022.

To this crisis, the suicides of doctors must also be added; factors that have already cast a gray shadow over the future of the country’s healthcare system.

With the increasing desire to migrate in Iran, migration agencies have developed a specialized focus, with some specifically working in the field of doctor and healthcare staff migration. Some agencies also secure job opportunities for their clients. According to one such agency, Canada, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates are among the best destinations for healthcare staff migration.

In February 2024, the Etemad newspaper, quoting an “informed source” in the National Medical Council, wrote that by the first half of the year, the number of doctors applying for CGS (Certificate of Good Standing – professional and scientific competency) had increased by about 200% compared to 2018. In 2021, over 4,000 doctors, in 2022 over 6,000 doctors, and in the first half of 2023, over 3,000 doctors received CGS certificates, with a prediction that the total number of certificates issued would reach 10,000 by the end of the year.

Confidential Seal on Doctor Migration Records

The statistics on doctor migration are not announced precisely and are confidential; therefore, the media have approximate figures, and publishing them is considered “blackening” by the government.

Avaz Heidarpour, an anesthesiologist and former parliament member, described the doctor migration situation as “horrific” in October 2023, stating: “Every year, 10,000 people from the medical staff migrate from the country.”

Another concern about the migration and departure of doctors is the emptying of universities for teaching and the disruption of the knowledge and experience transfer cycle. Meanwhile, the medical community is experiencing the “forced evacuation” of universities from professors who disagree with the government.

Reza Malekzadeh, a faculty member at Tehran University of Medical Sciences who was forcibly retired, announced in March 2024 that about 40 faculty members of this university had been dismissed or retired over the past two years. Many professors have stated that the reasons for these dismissals or

Iranian FM Dismisses IAEA Resolution As Having No Effect On Nuclear Activities

Sia Rajabi
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Iranian FM Dismisses IAEA Resolution As Having No Effect On Nuclear Activities

In response to the possibility of Europe using the snapback mechanism against Tehran’s nuclear program, Iran’s Foreign Ministry announced that Iran will act within the framework of its “rights and obligations” and that the issuance of a resolution by the IAEA Board of Governors will not affect Tehran’s plans for “nuclear development.”

Nasser Kanaani, the spokesperson for Iran’s Foreign Ministry, said at his press conference on Monday, June 10, regarding the potential use of the snapback mechanism by European countries: “I will not speculate on what Europe intends, but naturally, Iran has acted and will act within the framework of its rights and obligations.”

The snapback mechanism is a procedure provided for in UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which allows JCPOA parties to request the automatic re-imposition of all international sanctions suspended under this resolution if Iran violates its commitments.

Under the snapback mechanism, members of the nuclear agreement can claim that the other party has violated its commitments, and thus, after a four-step legal process that takes a total of 65 days, UN sanctions against Iran are reinstated.

On the other hand, Ali Bagheri Kani, the acting head of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, in his speech at the meeting of foreign ministers of the BRICS countries in Russia, said: “The issuance of a political resolution in the IAEA will have no effect on Tehran’s determination to continue the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to implement its nuclear development plans.”

Bagheri Kani emphasized on Sunday, June 9, that Iran “will continue to cooperate with the Agency within the framework of its rights and obligations under the NPT and the Safeguards Agreement.”

This is while Tehran, late last summer, prevented the presence of many senior experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency in the inspection team, an act that Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the Agency, described as disproportionate, unprecedented, and a serious blow to the agency’s mission.

After the issuance of the Board of Governors’ resolution against Tehran’s nuclear program, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, the three European countries that are members of the nuclear agreement known as the JCPOA, detailed in a letter to the UN Security Council Iran’s violations of the agreement.

The expiration date of the UN Security Council sanctions against Iran and the snapback mechanism, which allows for the imposition of further sanctions against Iran, ends in October.

This mechanism, provided for in UN Security Council Resolution 2231 in 2015, allows for the immediate re-imposition of UN Security Council sanctions against Iran until before October 2025.

In their letter to the UN Security Council, the three European countries said that the recent report by the International Atomic Energy Agency considers the development and advancement of Iran’s nuclear program, including the increase in uranium stockpiles and enrichment levels, to be in violation of the JCPOA.

The IAEA, in its latest quarterly report, states that Iran has increased its 60% uranium enrichment level to the extent that, if enrichment continues to the 90% level, it will have the capability to build three nuclear bombs.

This is while, under the terms of the JCPOA, Iran is only allowed to enrich uranium up to 3.67%.

However, after the United States withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018, Iran gradually suspended its commitments under the nuclear agreement and has now increased its uranium enrichment level to 60%.

Widespread Corruption in Iran’s Football League

Esmaeil Mohades
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Widespread Corruption in Iran’s Football League

The state-run Jam-e Jam newspaper, linked with the official state-run Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), on Sunday, June 9, revealed shocking confessions by Khodadad Afsharian, the former head of the Referees Committee of the Football Federation, regarding widespread corruption in Iranian football

Afsharian, who is currently in detention, has confessed to at least 15 cases of match-fixing in the Premier League and Division One, and has revealed the involvement of some referees and assistant referees in determining the outcomes of matches. According to informed sources, these referees will soon be summoned to court to respond to their charges.

The Iran Varzeshi newspaper, also quoting Jam-e Jam, has revealed more details of these confessions. According to this report, Afsharian named several referees and assistant referees in the Premier League as being involved in match-fixing, admitting that these acts have disrupted the dynamics of the Premier League and Division One in recent years.

The extent of corruption in Iranian football is so significant that Kiumars Hashemi, the Minister of Sports, officially announced on Thursday, June 6, that the new Premier League season will definitely be conducted with VAR (Video Assistant Referee) technology.

However, government and judicial officials believe that the use of VAR alone is not sufficient, and that decisive action must also be taken against corrupt and bribed elements within the refereeing system.

Jam-e Jam, quoting an informed source, reported on the widespread corruption in football clubs and the involvement of managers, coaches, and referees in match-fixing and influencing match outcomes. This source warned that if all violators are dealt with, many people will be removed from Iranian football.

These revelations come as Fariborz Mahmoudzadeh, the former head of Division One and the Special Affairs Deputy of Mehdi Taj, the President of the Football Federation, was also arrested yesterday.

The former head of the Referees Committee of the Iranian Football Federation was arrested in connection with a financial corruption case on charges of receiving “bribes.”

According to a report by ISNA news agency on Wednesday, June 5, Khodadad Afsharian, the former head of the Referees Committee of the Football Federation, was arrested in connection with the case of “bribery payments by Mes Rafsanjan Club to some football managers.”

In addition to the arrest of Khodadad Afsharian, five other suspects in connection with this case have been summoned to court.

The regime’s ISNA news agency, quoting “an informed source,” reported that “Khodadad Afsharian has been sent to prison in connection with this case.”

In mid-May, shortly after reports of a new case of systemic corruption in Iranian football and the summoning of two federation managers and a sports media editor to court, dismissals in the Football Federation began, including the dismissal of Afsharian.

After his dismissal, Khodadad Afsharian provided the media with a text titled “Resignation Letter,” claiming that he “stepped down to prevent further controversy”; an action some football experts in Iran considered to be “at the behest of judicial and federation officials” or for “self-defense.”

Iranian Regime Presidential Election Candidates Trimmed To 6, Mostly Khamenei Loyalists

Jubin Katiraie
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Iranian Regime Presidential Election Candidates Trimmed To 6, Mostly Khamenei Loyalists

The Iranian regime’s election headquarters announced that six of the individuals who registered for the fourteenth presidential election, have been “qualified.” The candidates are Mostafa Pourmohammadi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, and Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi.

The upcoming election has been described by users and political observers with terms such as “demonstrative military parade,” “electoral circus,” “stand-up comedy,” and “comedy show.”

According to Mohsen Eslami, the spokesman for the Iranian regime’s election headquarters, on Sunday, June 9, 80 people had registered for candidacy in the election that is supposed to determine Ebrahim Raisi’s successor, of which six were approved.

The Guardian Council, which had begun reviewing the qualifications of the registrants on June 4, announced the final list of approved candidates after five days on Sunday. This six-person list notably excludes Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the former president of the Iranian regime, Ali Larijani, the former speaker of the parliament, and Eshaq Jahangiri, the former first vice president.

The fourteenth presidential election, which is being held early due to the death of Ebrahim Raisi, is referred to by some government officials as “political absurdity” and “comedic display.”

Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of the Iranian regime, warned the candidates participating in this election against “slander and mudslinging,” as he stated that it would “damage national dignity.”

There are many signs that indicate the elections and its candidates are  is orchestrated around Khamenei’s death and succession, and the preservation of the regime. The candidates, most of whom have a background in repression and terrorism, have been selected as the regime is ramping up repression, purging its ranks from officials who are not completely loyal to Khamenei, and is doubling down on its terrorist and nuclear activities.

Mostafa Pourmohammadi was one of the members of the Death Committee, who in the summer of 1988 issued the death sentence for more than 30,000 political prisoners. Most of these prisoners were members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Many of these prisoners had completed their sentences or were serving their terms.

It is worth mentioning that Ebrahim Raisi, the former president of the Iranian regime who was killed in a helicopter crash, was another member of this committee.

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