Iranian Uprising Gains More Momentum as Regime Marks 1979 Revolution

Iranian women chanting against the regime in Tehran (Iran International)
Iranian women chanting against the regime in Tehran (Iran International)
TT
20

Iranian Uprising Gains More Momentum as Regime Marks 1979 Revolution

Iranian women chanting against the regime in Tehran (Iran International)
Iranian women chanting against the regime in Tehran (Iran International)

As the Iranian government marks the anniversary of the 1979 revolution in various parts of the country, the popular uprising against the regime gained momentum, Iran International reported on Friday.

In parallel, the authorities released a journalist on Friday and seven female activists the day before, according to AFP.

Those released included Saba Kordafshari, Alieh Motalebzadeh, Fariba Asadi, Parastoo Moini, Zahra Safaei, Gelareh Abbasi and Sahereh Hossein.

The Iranian authorities have arrested thousands of people since the outbreak of protests across the country, following the death of the young woman, Mahsa Amini, on Sept. 16, days after she was arrested by the morality police for violating the strict dress code for women in the country.

A group of civil and political activists chanted slogans such as, “down with oppressors” and “Woman, Life, Freedom” in front of Tehran’s Evin Prison on Thursday night, after the release of the detainees.

The destruction of government symbols continued in various places, as a video clip posted on social media showed a citizen lowering the flag of the regime and throwing it in a trash can in the city of Ganrud, in the west of the country.

Another footage, obtained by Iran International, showed demonstrators burning government banners commemorating the 1979 revolution in the eastern Kerman province.

Meanwhile, residents of Zahedan, southeastern Iran, took to the streets for the 19th week in a row. In Sanandaj, the people organized a march to demand the release of the cleric, Ibrahim Karimi, who was arrested by the Tehran regime.

Meanwhile, Iran released on Friday hunger-striking jailed dissident Farhad Meysami, Reuters reported, citing the Iranian judiciary.

Supporters had been warning that the man risked dying for protesting against the compulsory wearing of the hijab.

Images on social media of an emaciated Meysami, who had been in jail since 2018 for supporting women activists protesting against Iran’s headscarf policy, had gone viral and caused outrage among social media users and international rights group, Reuters said.

Also on Friday, the reformist Shargh daily reported that Hossein Yazdi, a political activist and journalist, was released from Dastgerd Prison in the central city of Isfahan.

Yazdi was arrested on Dec. 5, sentenced to one year in prison and banned from traveling for two years, the newspaper had earlier reported, without providing details about the charges against him.

It had said Yazdi was the “manager of Mobin 24 website and Iran Times news channel.”

Earlier this week, Iran released a young protester, Armita Abbasi, whose case sparked international concern after she was arrested in October in connection with protests in the city of Karaj, outside Tehran.

In November, a CNN report cited leaks and an anonymous medical source as saying that she had been taken to hospital after being raped while in detention. The Iranian authorities denied the accusations.

After her release, Abbasi posted a video on Instagram, thanking all those who supported her case.



US to Offer New Defense of Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites

A poster depicting US President Donald Trump prostrating in front of Iran's Ali Kamenei hangs in a southern Beirut suburb. AFP
A poster depicting US President Donald Trump prostrating in front of Iran's Ali Kamenei hangs in a southern Beirut suburb. AFP
TT
20

US to Offer New Defense of Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites

A poster depicting US President Donald Trump prostrating in front of Iran's Ali Kamenei hangs in a southern Beirut suburb. AFP
A poster depicting US President Donald Trump prostrating in front of Iran's Ali Kamenei hangs in a southern Beirut suburb. AFP

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to hold a news conference on Thursday to offer a fresh assessment of strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, following a stinging row over how much American bombardment set back Tehran's nuclear program.

After waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since June 13, the United States bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities at the weekend.

The extent of the damage in Iran, where Israel said it had acted to stop an imminent nuclear threat, has become the subject of profound disagreement in the United States.

An initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran's nuclear program was set back only months at most.

Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400 kilogram (880 pounds) of enriched uranium -- which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country.

The US administration has hit back furiously, with Trump repeatedly saying the attack "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain.

"I can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News.

"As for what's on the ground right now, it's buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening," she said.

Trump said that Hegseth, whom he dubbed "war" secretary, would hold a news conference at 8 am (1200 GMT) on Thursday to "fight for the dignity of our great American pilots".

CIA chief John Ratcliffe said in a statement on Wednesday that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years".

The Israeli military said it had delivered a "significant" blow to Iran's nuclear sites but that it was "still early" to fully assess the damage.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that "we have thwarted Iran's nuclear project".

"And if anyone in Iran tries to rebuild it, we will act with the same determination, with the same intensity, to foil any attempt," he said.

Nuclear talks?

Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei told Al Jazeera that "nuclear installations have been badly damaged, that's for sure".

After the war derailed nuclear talks between Iran and the United States, Trump said Washington would hold discussions with Tehran next week, with his special envoy Steve Witkoff expressing hope "for a comprehensive peace agreement".

Trump told reporters that Israel and Iran were "both tired, exhausted", before going on to say that talks were planned with Iran next week.

"We may sign an agreement. I don't know," he added.

Iran has systematically denied seeking a nuclear weapon while defending its "legitimate rights" to the peaceful use of atomic energy.

It has also said it was willing to return to nuclear negotiations with Washington.

In both Iran and Israel, authorities have gradually lifted wartime restrictions.

Iran on Wednesday reopened the airspace over the country's east, without allowing yet flights to and from the capital Tehran.

In the Israeli coastal hub of Tel Aviv, 45-year-old engineer Yossi Bin welcomed the ceasefire: "Finally, we can sleep peacefully. We feel better, less worried... and I hope it stays that way."

State funeral

While Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow war for decades, their 12-day conflict was by far the most destructive confrontation between them.

The Israeli strikes on Iran killed at least 627 civilians, Tehran's health ministry said.

Iran's attacks on Israel killed 28 people, according to official figures.

Instead, a state funeral will be held on Saturday in Tehran for top commanders including Salami and nuclear scientists killed in the war.