Spring of freedom

The Iranian rial plunged to a record low against the U.S. dollar on the black market  Early Sunday morning the black market in Iran began selling the US dollar at a whopping 100,000 rials, breaking the previous psychological barrier. The society and economy were in shock of these reports when only three hours later (around 2 pm local time) new reports indicated the US dollar selling at 108,000 rials and even surpassing the 111,000 rial mark. What can the Iranian regime do to tackle this crisis? Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani did all he could back when the US dollar was trading at 60,000 rials in the black market. Authorities arrested dozens of currency exchange owners and set a fixed government rate of 42,000 rials. “The mere fact that the Central Bank has banned currency exchanges from trading US dollars will soon lead to severe currency tensions,” according to the Iranian regime’s own ISNA news agency at the time. We are now witnessing such circumstances a...

Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, resigns  Mohammad Bagher Nobakht, government spokesman for Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani and head of the Plan & Budget Organization, has resigned from all his posts, according to the Fars news agency. Rumors regarding changes in Rouhani’s cabinet were mentioned in the Iranian regime’s state-run media outlets. Regime analysts consider these developments in line with the ongoing economic crisis and the United States pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Considering Nobakht’s other positions, the plunge of the Iranian currency and a crumbling economy may also be further reasons of his resigning. Keep in mind that his resignation could very well be aimed at saving humiliation for the regime in comparison to Rouhani or even Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei themselves getting involved to sack their senior officials. On June 18 th , Massoud Nili, known as Nobakht...

The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo Wednesday’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee was yet another stage where US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo further defined US policy vis-à-vis Iran’s regime and how the Iranian people oppose the mullahs’ policies. “There is an enormous economic challenge inside of Iran today. It’s an economic structure that simply doesn’t work. When you’re a country of that scale that foments terror through the Lebanese Hezbollah, through Shiite militias in Iraq, into Yemen, conducts assassination attempts in European countries, provides enormous support for Assad outside of Lebanese Hezbollah in Syria, that’s expensive and I think the Iranian people are beginning to see that that’s not the model that they want. The Iranian expansionism that the supreme leader and Qassem Suleimani so favor is not what they’re looking for. I think you’re beginning to see the economic impact combined with understandings inside of Iran of the kleptocracy that it is, leading...

Iranian protesters chant anti-regime slogans at the old grand bazaar in Tehran Today, Monday, June 25th, Bazaar merchants and shopkeepers in various parts of Tehran went on strike in protest of the collapse of the currency and unprecedented recession. They rallied toward the Baharestan square and gathered in front of the Majlis (parliament). They chanted slogans: Death to the dictator; Let go of Syria, think about us; Our enemy is right here, but they falsely claim (our enemy) is the US; Death to high prices; We shall die, but we do not accept humiliation; Zealous marketers, support, support. Anti government demo in Tehran (June 25) In order to disperse the Bazaar merchants and the people who had joined them, the anti-riot guard attacked them at 15 th  Khordad Ave and threw tear gas at the crowd. The frustrated people confronted the repressive forces with stones and bricks and set fire to the kiosk of repressive police force at Baharestan Square.  The proteste...

By Narges Ghaffari ,producer of Radio Irava, Ottawa Iranian opposition Grand Gathering heralds the end of the mullahs rule Every year, at the proximity of the  Iranian opposition Grand Gathering in Paris  (June 30th), we witness such a resurgence of Iranian-supporters of the resistance as if it were Nowruz, or one would seem as it were springtime again. It is not an easy task to hold an annual event as grand as this, with over 100,000 Iranians and delegates (including MPs, world’s renowned political/cultural personalities) from around the world. Imagine for a minute in you would, that thousands of people (some with children) arrive in one place and on one day (June 30th), tired, of course, but determined. Surely you agree that addressing their individual needs of is very difficult. However, this is not just a gathering under one roof. A side from the fact that the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), would outline its position, th...

Domino effect of increasing protests in Iran With each passing day, more voices are heard inside the Iranian regime expressing concerns over “growing public dissent” and increasing protests. Warnings about a  growing scope of unrest , people losing their patience, the regime becoming  besieged  like never before and a domino effect taking its toll, are apparently falling on deaf ears. Some, however, believe Iranian regime officials are too busy  stealing  the people’s money. This is the fate of all dictators in history, pressing the gas pedal for further domestic crackdown to such a limit that throws their entire apparatus overboard. “Popular protests throughout the society, opposing the government and the entire state, are on the rise,” according to  Jahane-Sanat  daily. The writer describes the Dec/Jan protests in Iran as a “precursor to nationwide popular revolts,” warning the main earthquake in the future will “most certainly shake t...

US economic sanctions against Iran   A significant portion of the sanctions imposed against the Iranian regime following the U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal will become active after 90 days and others after 180 days. The new U.S. Treasury sanctions, however, go online immediately. The economic impact of these sanctions can be witnessed in a rush to the exit door by numerous foreign companies involved in business with Iran. Many foreign companies one after another are currently pulling out of Iran and/or completely ending their contracts with Tehran. “Eight large European firms are determined to exit Iran,” according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency, affiliated to the Iranian regime’s Revolutionary Guards Quds Force. There are numerous reports in the media of large, multinational European companies exiting Iran. This slate includes Total, Reliance, Eni, Siemens, Airbus, Maersk, Allianz and…, proving the United States’ influence to neutralize Euro...