Iranians defy regime as wave of protest spreads
January 1, 2018

“…While the overwhelming majority of the people of Iran are suffering from poverty, inflation and unemployment, most of the country’s wealth and revenues is spent on military and security apparatuses and military and regional interventions, or is being looted by the regime leaders or goes into their bank accounts,” said Maryam Rajavi, president-elect of the Paris-based opposition movement the National Resistance Council of Iran…”

Iran: Protesters Decry Economic Mismanagement, But Also Express Broader Frustrations
December 28, 2018

“…Throughout the day on Thursday, reports emerged from various cities in Iran regarding mass protests against high rates of inflations, rising food prices, and a general trend of economic mismanagement. The primary demonstrations took place in Mashhad, the country’s second most populous city, but others were reported in Neyshabour, Kashmar, Birjand, Shahroud, Noushahr, and Yazd, cities that span from central to north and northeastern Iran…”

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2018
Statement by the Press Secretary on Iran Protests

The Trump Administration is deeply concerned by reports that the Iranian regime has imprisoned thousands of Iranian citizens in the past week for engaging in peaceful protests. Further reports that the regime has tortured or killed some of these demonstrators while in detention are even more disturbing. We will not remain silent as the Iranian dictatorship represses the basic rights of its citizens and will hold Iran’s leaders accountable for any violations. The protesters in Iran are expressing legitimate grievances, including demanding an end to their government’s oppression, corruption, and waste of national resources on military adventurism. Iran’s regime claims to support democracy, but when its own people express their aspirations for better lives and an end to injustice, it once again shows its true brutal nature. The United States calls for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Iran, including the victims of the most recent crackdown.

January 9, 2018
Iran protests: deaths in custody spark human rights concerns

“…Human rights activists in Iran have raised concerns about mass arrests during the country’s largest protests in nearly a decade after at least three demonstrators died in a notorious Tehran jail.
Two members of the Iranian parliament close to the reformist camp confirmed on Monday that one detainee, Sina Ghanbari, had died in Evin prison. Separately, Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent human rights lawyer, told the Guardian on the phone from Tehran that at least two other protesters had died in the jail. They have not yet been identified…”

Why the Iranian Uprising Won’t Die
January 07, 2018

“…Modern Iran has faced many uprisings, insurgencies and revolutions, from the 1905 Constitutional Revolution to the 1979 revolution to the 2009 Green Uprising. So the mass protests against the Islamic Republic that have taken place over the past few days are not unprecedented. But Iran has not witnessed such a storm since 2009, and possibly 1979. The Iran uprising of 2017 is the biggest challenge Iran’s theocracy has ever faced…”