Displaying items by tag: Iran

Iran has temporarily released tens of thousands of prisoners in recent weeks to stop the spread of coronavirus. Among these prisoners is British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe She will be required to wear an ankle tag and remain within 300 metres of her parents' home. ‘The issue now is to make it permanent’, her husband Richard said. Pray for this to be the beginning of a permanent release for her. Meanwhile Iran has recorded the highest toll of deaths outside China and Italy. WHO said that 15% of Iran’s deaths were aged under 40. This is unprecedented, as across the world death rate the under 50’s is well below 1%. An Iranian pulmonologist said, ‘Realistically, at this point, the reported sick cases are 1 million.’ As a measure of Iran's desperation, it has requested a $5billion emergency loan from the International Monetary Fund - the first time they have sought western help for sixty years. See

Four UN human experts on human rights, freedom of religion, minority issues and the right to health have issued a joint statement, urging Iran to ensure ‘a fair and transparent final hearing’ at the court for three Iranian Christians sentenced for ‘conducting evangelism’ and ‘illegal house church activities,’ among other charges. The experts have expressed concern over last year's sentencing of Pastor Tamraz, an Assyrian Pentecostal leader, and of Amin Afshar Naderi and Hadi Asgari, house-church Christians. They were given between 10 and 15 year prison sentences. In November the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, called on Christian leaders to intervene for the release of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who has been held in an Iranian prison since 2016 (see). The Revolutionary Court was due to hold a hearing on 9 February; the outcome is not yet known.

Only days after large crowds of Iranians demonstrated national unity while mourning the assassination of the country's top military leader in a U.S. drone strike, anti-government protests have erupted on the streets of Tehran and several other cities.

The protesters are angry over the establishment's mishandling of the deadly downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet on January 8 by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in what is seen as a display of incompetency and recklessness by the country's leaders.

Thousands of protesters, including many students, chanted against the clerical establishment over the weekend and into January 13, with many calling for the resignation of the country's top authority, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Clerics get lost" was one refrain heard at the protests. Others called Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC commander killed in the U.S. strike and widely praised as a national hero by the state, "a murderer."

It was Iran's delayed admission of guilt for the plane's downing -- three days after the tragedy -- and what was seen by many as an attempt to cover up the real cause of the crash that has aroused public fury and a revival of the grievances that resulted in waves of anti-establishment protests in past months, including in November, when hundreds were killed in a violent state crackdown on rallies against large increases in gas prices.

In the past two days there have been photos and video from the protests showing wounded people being carried away and blood on the ground. In some videos, gunshots can be heard and tear gas is being fired, although the police have denied shooting at protesters.

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted to Iranian leaders: "Don't kill your protesters."

The demonstrators in Tehran and cities including Isfahan, Shiraz, and Babol were also upset by what they see as a cover-up, including Iran's lack of cooperation with Ukrainian investigators and the bulldozing of the disaster site, which led to international ridicule.

The protests come amid a faltering economy due to crippling U.S. economic sanctions that have contributed to the fall of the national currency, the rial.

"We're seeing society bursting [in anger], particularly students, against lies and the humiliation of the nation," Paris-based Iranian analyst Reza Alijani told RFE/RL.

Mostafa Tajzadeh, an acting interior minister under reformist former President Mohammad Khatami, suggested he was also shocked over the level of deceit by the government. "I must admit I couldn't believe all the lies, secrecy, and deceit in the Islamic republic. Why and how did we reach this point?" he said on Twitter.

Speaking on January 13, government spokesman Ali Rabiei denied that the state concealed facts and misled the public, while acknowledging the public had lost trust in it.  He noted the plane was downed just a few hours after Iran had fired more than a dozen ballistic missiles at two U.S. bases in retaliation for Soleimani's killing, and suggested the high tension between Washington and Tehran played a role.

"All armed forces were on high alert and this was the reason for the tragic mistake and the accident," Rabiei was quoted as saying by state media.

More at: https://www.rferl.org/a/anger-grows-in-iran-over-lack-of-accountability-in-ukrainian-plane-tragedy/30375053.html?ltflags=mailer

Pray for the Iranian people whose lives are affected both by the policies of their government and the effect of the harsh international sanctions.

Pray that Iran will adhere to the requests by the world community for it to stop funding terrorism and to adhere to the nuclear agreement and stop processing enriched weapons grade uranium.

Boris Johnson has said that the Iran nuclear deal should be replaced with a ‘Trump’ deal. He recognised US concerns that the 2015 deal was ‘flawed’, but there had to be a way of stopping Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons. His comments come amid reports that the UK, France and Germany intend to try to rescue the situation by triggering a dispute mechanism in the 2015 deal - which was abandoned by the US in 2018. Boris said, ‘Somehow, we have to stop Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. If we're going to remove we need a replacement. From the American perspective, it is a flawed deal negotiated by President Obama. Let's work together to replace it with the Trump deal. That's what we need to see. President Trump is a great dealmaker by his own account, and by many others.’

After Tehran admitted shooting down an airliner killing 176 people, thousands protested across Iran’s streets against the government, calling for heads to roll. Those marching toward Azadi Square were met by police in riot gear using tear gas and live bullets. Many died or were wounded because the Iranian mullahs are losing control and protesters reverted to violence. The difference between these protests and those over fuel prices which claimed 1,500 lives is that these demonstrations include students and middle class Iranians. Observers say this could lead to a real revolution. Meanwhile on 14,January, President Trump tweeted an encouraging message to the protesters, in Farsi (the Iranian language): ‘I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my administration will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely, and are inspired by your courage.’ See also

On 8 December, a Ukrainian jet bound for Kiev crashed soon after taking off from Tehran. The majority of passengers were from Iran and Canada. Ukraine initially blamed engine failure, but later retracted the statement. President Zelensky warned against ‘speculation or unchecked theories regarding the catastrophe’ until official reports were ready. As a sign of the potential difficulties facing crash investigators, the head of Iran's civil aviation organisation was quoted as saying that the plane's black box would not be handed over either to Boeing or the Americans. An Iranian official blamed an engine fire, adding, ‘Had the accident happened due to a missile strike, the plane would have exploded in the air’.

Many believe the US killing of Qasem Soleimani (plus four senior commanders and an Iraqi militia leader) risks causing Iraq instability. The USA believed the men were organising radical tactics against it, describing the action as ‘a preemptive defensive strike to prevent attacks yet to come’. In retaliation Iran fired missiles towards two air bases housing US troops and coalition forces. It is believed the strikes deliberately missed areas populated by Americans and multiple administration officials. Also, advance warning was given so that troops could take ‘necessary precautions.’ Iraq's prime minister Adil Abdul Mahdi’s government is already shaken by protest movements and relentless Iranian pressure and interference, plus the threat of a resurgent IS. Its future hinges on what happens next between the United States and Iran. Pray for an end to ballistic missile development. See also

Qasem Soleimani was named head of Iran's elite paramilitary Quds Force in the late 1990s. He then became widely known for expanding his country's regional influence by bolstering Shiite proxy forces around the region to counter US, Saudi, and Israeli influence. There are now fourteen militias and proxies broadly aligned with Iran, operating in Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Bahrain, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iraq. Let us pray for peace to reign in these countries as the atmosphere of antagonism swirls round the region after Suleimani’s assassination. He was the architect of Iran's foreign policy and one of the most powerful figures across these regions. May God prevent proxy terror attacks by Syria and the Yemenis’ Houthis or IS in the current power struggle. See

On Christmas Eve British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert started an open-ended hunger strike in protest at being sentenced to ten years on espionage charges. She wants, at the very least, to be moved from solitary confinement, where she has been since October 2018. On 30 December British-Iranian Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe said she would go on hunger strike in solidarity with Kylie. Just before Christmas, Kylie wrote to the Australian prime minister, pleading for ministers to do more to secure her release. A third dual national, Fariba Adelkhah, is also on hunger strike. The French government has summoned the Iranian ambassador over her detention. A government spokesman rejected the publicity they are receiving, saying Iran would not submit to political games or propaganda. Mrs Zaghari-Ratcliffe and many other imprisoned dual nationals in Tehran believe they are political hostages.

France, Germany, and Britain have told the UN's secretary-general that Iran has developed a ballistic-missile system capable of delivering a nuclear weapon in violation of the Security Council resolution. A letter from those countries, plus Russia, China, and the USA, stated that the development of such missiles was inconsistent with the resolution endorsing a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and urged Tehran not to pursue activity related to such missiles. Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif called the letter ‘a desperate falsehood to cover up European countries' miserable incompetence in fulfilling their commitments to the nuclear deal. He said, ‘If Britain, France, and Germany want a modicum of global credibility, they can begin by exerting sovereignty rather than bowing to US bullying.’ Pray for Iran’s church leaders amid the upheaval. They are praying that God will give them strategies to use the current unrest to advance His kingdom.