By Jubin Katiraie
Iran’s record holder in female cycling is living in poverty, forced to peddle in the streets to earn money to support her family, which is a damning indictment of the poverty levels in Iran today.
Atousa Abbasi, who has held the speed record since 2014, is forced to take her 3-year-old child with her when she sells cheap wares on the streets. Despite winning numerous medals, she said no one has given her support.
By Pooya Stone
Inflation in Iran has risen by 48%, compared with the same period last year, according to a report by the Iranian Statistical Center released on July 24, while the overall inflation rate for the 12-month period ending in July 2019 was 40.4%.
The point-to-point inflation rate, which was the first figure quoted, indicates the momentum of price rises by comparing the cost of various commodities now and during the same period in the previous calendar year. This can help show the depth of Iran’s economic crisis in a more transparent way.
By Jubin Katiraie
The UK announced Thursday that it has begun sending warships to accompany all British-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz to protect them from Iran, only days after the government said it did not have resources to do so.
A government spokesman said: “The Royal Navy has been tasked to accompany British-flagged ships through the Strait of Hormuz, either individually or in groups, should sufficient notice be given of their passage.”
By Pooya Stone
This week Iran test-fired a medium-range ballistic missile that travelled 1,000 kilometres, according to an unnamed US official who spoke to CNN, which is just the latest development increasing tensions between Iran and the West.
The missile, launched Wednesday from the southern coast of Iran, landed just east of Tehran, with American officials closely monitoring the test site when Iran was preparing for launch.
By Jubin Katiraie
In the past month, Iran has been responsible for many provocations against vessels in international waters in the Persian Gulf, which pose a severe threat to maritime traffic and global oil supplies.
Since June 20, Iran has shot down a US military drone that was in international airspace, tried to impede the passage of a British oil tanker using armed Iranian boats, seized a different oil tanker that it claimed was carrying 1 million litres of “smuggled fuel”, sent a drone to take threatening actions against the USS Boxer, which resulted in the loss of said drone, and captured a British-flagged oil tanker.
By Pooya Stone
Struan Stevenson, Coordinator of the Campaign for Iran Change (CiC) and former member of the European Parliament penned an op-ed in which he highlighted the shameful misinformation that has resulted from the Guardian’s shameful defence of the Iranian regime.
He highlighted that just days before the Iranian regime’s act of piracy in the Strait of Hormuz in which it illegally seized the Stena Impero, the Guardian had published a piece about the 5-day event at Ashraf 3 in Albania, organised by the MEK. Stevenson pointed out that the article was full of errors, untruths and inaccuracies.
By Jubin Katiraie
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s top military adviser said Wednesday that Iran wouldn’t negotiate with the US under any circumstances, indicating that the Middle East country is toughening its position as the Gulf tanker crisis continues.
Hossein Dehghan, a senior commander of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards whose views are seen as a reflection of Khamenei’s, seemed to respond firmly to Western proposals about increasing security in the Strait of Hormuz after the seizure of British tanker, the Stena Impero.
By Pooya Stone
Iran has threatened to cut imports from Brazil if the South American country doesn’t allow the two Iranian ships stranded off its shores to refuel, as the US campaign to isolate Iran gains traction.
Iranian ambassador to Brazil Seyed Ali Saqqayian told local news outlets that Iran might find new countries to supply them with corn, soybeans and meat, following the decision made by Brazilian oil company Petrobras’ not to supply fuel to the Iranian Sapid Shipping vessels, which leaves them stranded in Paranaguá port.
By Jubin Katiraie
The new US defence secretary said Wednesday that the military intends to protect US commercial ships against Iranian threats in the Persian Gulf, but cannot provide naval escorts in every case.
Mark Esper, who previously served as the Army’s top civilian official, said: “We will escort our ships to the degree that the risk demands it… To the degree United States vessels need an escort, we will be there, we will be available to them.
By Pooya Stone
The Washington Times on Thursday published a special report about the Free Iran gathering that took place earlier this month in Ashraf 3 – the home to the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI, Mujahedin-e Khalq or MEK) in Albania.
The special report named “Iran: The Power of the Alternative,” which was published in print on July 25, 2019, can be viewed online.
