Page 3 - Iran Economy

Iran aired nearly 100 coerced confessions from protesters, say activists

They are shown handcuffed, their faces blurred. The confession videos, broadcast on Iranian state media, feature dramatic background music interspersed with clips appearing to show protesters attacking security forces. Some showcase gruesome homemade weapons that authorities claim were used in the attacks. Others highlight suspects in grainy security footage, appearing to set fires or destroy property. Iran alleges these confessions, which often include references to Israel or America, are proof of foreign plots behind Iran's nationwide protests. Activists say they are coerced confessions, long a staple of Iran's hard-line state television, the only broadcaster in the country. And these videos are coming at an unprecedented clip. Iranian state media has aired at least 97 confessions from protesters, many expressing remorse for their actions, since the protests began on Dec 28, according to a rights group that is tracking the videos. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency

Iran uses Russian tech to jam Starlink as protests grow under blackout

Iran has reportedly used Russian-made jammers to disrupt Starlink internet during protests, even as SpaceX waived fees to help people connect amid a nationwide internet blackout

Elon Musk's Starlink goes free in Iran as internet blackout continues

Unrest across Iran has sharply intensified over the past week, drawing hundreds of thousands to the streets who are calling for the downfall of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Trump urges Iranians to escalate protests, hints at action as deaths mount

Iran has experienced weeks of mass unrest. While initially touched off by a currency crisis and worsening economic conditions, the protests have increasingly taken aim at the regime

Iran allows limited overseas calls as protest death toll nears 2,000

Iran eased some restrictions on its people and, for the first time in days, allowed them to make phone calls abroad via their mobile phones on Tuesday. It did not ease restrictions on the internet or permit texting services to be restored as the death toll from days of bloody protests against the state rose to at least 2,000 people, according to activists. Although Iranians were able to call abroad, people outside the country could not call them, several people in the capital told The Associated Press. The witnesses, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said SMS text messaging still was down and internet users inside Iran could not access anything abroad, although there were local connections to government-approved websites. It was unclear if restrictions would ease further after authorities cut off all communications inside the country and to the outside world late Thursday. Here is the latest: Iranian official calls Trump and Netanyahu 'real killers of peopl

Who is Erfan Soltani, the 26-year-old Iran plans to execute over protests?

The National Union for Democracy in Iran, a US-based non-profit organisation of the Iranian diaspora, said that the Islamic Republic told Soltani's family that the 'sentence is final'

Trump keeps 'all options' open as Iran protest death toll hits 646: Updates

White House says Donald Trump is closely tracking Iran's unrest as deaths rise to 646, keeping military options open while Tehran signals readiness for war and dialogue

Trump warns of 'strong actions' in Iran as death toll crosses 500: Updates

Donald Trump said Iran may be nearing a red line as protests spread nationwide, deaths rise and Washington reviews strong options while closely monitoring the situation

Exiled Iranian crown prince Pahlavi calls for strikes, plans his return

Iran witnessed fresh protests as Reza Pahlavi urged nationwide strikes, street mobilisation and signalled his readiness to return to the 'homeland at the time of national revolution's victory'

Dozens feared dead as largest anti-govt protests intensify in Iran

Social media footage trickling out of Iran amid a blanket shutdown of internet and telecommunications networks showed hundreds of thousands marching and chanting anti-regime slogans

What to know about protests in Iran driven by inflation, economic strain

Galloping inflation and a currency crisis have provoked demonstrations across the country

We will hit them very hard: Trump on action if Iran kills protesters

Protests over Iran's worsening economy have spread to 111 cities and towns, leaving at least 35 people dead and more than 2,000 arrested

Iran crisis deepens as protests spread to over 100 cities; thousands held

Protests over Iran's worsening economy have spread to more than 100 cities, leaving dozens dead and over 2,000 arrested as inflation surges and the rial hits record lows

At least 35 people killed, 1,200 detained in Iran's economic protests

The death toll in violence surrounding protests in Iran has risen to at least 35 people, activists said Tuesday. The figure came from the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which said more than 1,200 people have been detained in the protests, which have been ongoing for more than a week. It said 29 protesters, four children and two members of Iran's security forces have been killed. The group, which relies on an activist network inside of Iran for its reporting, has been accurate in past unrest. The semiofficial Fars news agency, believed close to Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, reported late Monday that some 250 police officers and 45 members of the Guard's all-volunteer Basij force have been hurt in the demonstrations.

Two more killed in Iran protests over economic crisis, toll rises to 10

Violence surrounding protests in Iran sparked by the Islamic Republic's ailing economy killed two other people, authorities said Saturday, raising the death toll in the demonstrations to at least 10 as they showed no signs of stopping. The new deaths follow US President Donald Trump warning Iran on Friday that if Tehran violently kills peaceful protesters, the United States will come to their rescue. While it remains unclear how and if Trump will intervene, his comments sparked an immediate, angry response from officials within the theocracy threatening to target American troops in the Mideast. The weeklong protests, have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the protests have yet to be as widespread and intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The deaths overnight into Saturday ...

At least seven killed as protests over ailing economy widen across Iran

Widening demonstrations sparked by Iran's ailing economy spread Thursday into the Islamic Republic's rural provinces, with at least seven people being killed in the first fatalities reported among security forces and protesters, authorities said. The deaths may mark the start of a heavier-handed response by Iran's theocracy over the demonstrations, which have slowed in the capital, Tehran, but expanded elsewhere. The fatalities, two on Wednesday and five on Thursday, occurred in four cities, largely home to Iran's Lur ethnic group. The protests have become the biggest in Iran since 2022, when the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody triggered nationwide demonstrations. However, the demonstrations have yet to be countrywide and have not been as intense as those surrounding the death of Amini, who was detained over not wearing her hijab, or headscarf, to the liking of authorities. The most-intense violence appeared to strike Azna, a city in Iran's Lorestan province, some

Protests spread across Iran with demands to overthrow the govt: Here's why

A sharp fall in the rial, soaring prices and economic uncertainty have sparked protests across Iran, with demonstrators in several cities calling for regime change

Iran raises gasoline prices for first time since deadly protests in 2019

Iran introduced a new pricing tier on Saturday for its nationally subsidised gasoline, attempting to rein in spiralling costs for the first time since a price hike in 2019 that sparked nationwide protests and a crackdown that reportedly killed over 300 people. Cheap gasoline has been viewed for generations as a birthright in Iran, sparking mass demonstrations as far back as 1964 when a price increase forced the shah to put military vehicles on the streets to replace those of striking taxi drivers. But Iran's theocracy faces a growing squeeze from the country's rapidly depreciating rial currency and economic sanctions imposed due to Tehran's nuclear program. That has made the cost of having some of the world's cheapest gasoline at a few pennies per gallon that much more expensive. However, the government's hesitant move toward increasing prices likely signals it wants to avoid any confrontation with the nation's exhausted public after Israel launched a 12-day war on the country in ..

Chabahar centre 93% complete, ready for satellite launch: Iran minister

The Chabahar centre, dedicated to medium-heavy liquid-fueled launch vehicles, is Iran's national space launch site and one of several bases currently under construction

France, UK, Germany likely to restore UN sanctions on Iran next month

The United Kingdom, France and Germany have agreed to restore tough UN sanctions on Iran by the end of August if there has been no concrete progress on a nuclear deal, two European diplomats said on Tuesday. The three countries' ambassadors to the United Nations met Tuesday at Germany's UN Mission to discuss a possible Iranian deal and reimposing the sanctions. The matter also came up in a phone call on Monday between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the foreign ministers of the three countries, according to two US officials. The State Department said after the call that the four had spoken about ensuring Iran does not develop or obtain a nuclear weapon. The officials and diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The UK, France and Germany are part of an agreement reached with Iran in 2015 to rein in its nuclear programme, from which President Donald Trump withdrew the US during his first term, insisting it wasn't tough enough. Under the acco