RFL/RE – “Tired, desperate and hungry” is how an Iranian contract oil worker described himself and his colleagues who in recent days went on strike to demand higher wages and better working conditions. The strikes in Iran’s energy industry, which began on June 22 and have spread to more than 60 factories across eight provinces, are thought to be the …

Iranwire – The family of one the victims of last week’s fatal bus crash in West Azerbaijan have been told not to file a complaint if they want her body returned to them. Mahshad Karimi, a reporter for Iranian Students’ News Agency (ISNA), was killed instantly last Wednesday when a bus carrying journalists home from a tour of Lake Urmia overturned in …

Iranwire – In Evin Prison and Greater Tehran Penitentiary, a handful of special-case Iranian prisoners are being offered the VIP treatment from the moment they arrive. Wealth and good connections ensure that certain high-profile convicts, many of whom were sent down for financial crimes involving trillions of tomans’ worth of public money, can access whatever they desire: from flatscreen TVs to new kitchens, …

Iranwire – In the next 20 years some Iranian cities might no longer be fit for human habitation because of drought and water shortages, warned Ahad Vazifeh, head of the National Center for Drought and Crisis Management at the Iran Meteorological Organization. In the past 12 months rainfall in Iran has 55 percent of the norm what it should have been, …

Iranwire – Israeli infiltration in Iran is so deep that all officials of the Islamic Republic ought to fear for their lives, former Intelligence Minister Ali Younesi has claimed. In an interview with Jamaran News, Younesi blamed the rivalry between parallel intelligence agencies for Mossad’s alleged gains inside Iran: “Instead of fighting against this infiltration, new and parallel organizations in the Ministry of Intelligence are …

VOA – The Pentagon is suggesting that Monday’s rocket attack against U.S. forces in Syria was launched by Iranian-backed militia forces.  “We’re all working under the assumption that they (the rockets) were fired by Iran-backed militias or militia. We don’t have specific attribution,” Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters Tuesday at the Pentagon.  About 34 rockets were fired on …

Iran-HRM – The UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran called for an independent inquiry into the state-ordered executions of thousands of political prisoners in 1988 and the role played by Ebrahim Raisi as Tehran deputy prosecutor. In an interview with Reuters on Monday, June 29, Javaid Rehman said that over the years his office has gathered testimonies and …

CHRI—The continuation of strikes in Iran’s critical oil and petrochemical facilities—not seen on this scale for more than four decades—and the massive show of support from workers in other sectors, may well be a turning point in the history of Iran’s labor protests. “The Islamic Republic’s response to peaceful public protest has been violent, lethal suppression, and the potential for deadly state …

CHRI – For the past week workers at refineries, petrochemical plants and power stations in Iran have been on a national strike, demanding payment of back wages, pay increases to reflect inflation and improvements in health and safety at the workplace. The depth and breadth of the strike has raised speculation that it has the potential to cripple the country, similar to …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Death row juvenile offender Ali Arjangi has escaped the death penalty after paying diya (blood money) to the victim’s family today. Charitable institutions and individuals helped raise the set diya amount. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, juvenile offender Ali Arjangi who was due to be executed in July, has managed to pay the diya amount set by the …