Israeli Air Force Establishes Iran Unit Amid Escalating Tensions

According to Hengaw Human Rights Organization, a Kurdish rights group, at least 35 prisoners lost their lives in Iranian prisons in 2023 alone.

Galledari, 46, had been sentenced to two years in prison by the Urmia Revolutionary Court in 2020 on charges of "acting against national security." He was detained in March 2023 and subsequently transferred to Urmia Prison to serve his sentence. In 2015, he was also detained by security forces and later released on bail.

Recent days have seen numerous reports highlighting the inadequate health conditions in Iranian prisons, including the notorious Evin jail in Tehran. Overcrowding and the presence of harmful infestations like lice have been cited as factors endangering the physical and mental well-being of prisoners, with protests on the issues ignored by prison authorities.

In recent years, many political prisoners have lost their lives in detention centers and prisons across Iran. However, Iran has consistently refused to accept responsibility for the deaths, which have been attributed to pressure, torture, and inadequate medical services.

Between 2010 and 2022, Amnesty International documented at least 72 deaths in Iranian prisons, 46 of which were due to ill treatment or torture.

Jalali made the announcement on Monday, adding that “the actual value of Iran's exports to Russia could potentially be even higher due to the transit of Iranian products through Eurasian Economic Union member countries like Kazakhstan.”

The claims emerge amidst contrasting figures reported by Iran's Customs, which indicate $760 million worth of commodity exports to Russia in the first 10 months of the current year, ending in March. Data from the Chamber of Commerce also suggests that Iran's exports to Russia totaled approximately $743 million last year, while imports from Russia were double that amount.

The disparity between the statistics regarding Iran's exports to Russia raises questions though Iran's extensive sale of drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war could likely contribute to the difference, such transactions not reflected in Iran's customs data.

In response to the two nations' military cooperation, Western countries have imposed multiple sanction packages against Iran for facilitating the transfer of military equipment to Russia.

Jalali also disclosed the impending visit of "a large delegation of 160 to 170 people" from Russia to Iran to finalize agreements during the meetings.

Over the past two years, Iranian authorities have promoted the alliance with Russia and China, aiming to underscore the financial and trade relations between Iran and its allies.

The Supreme Labor Council, which is responsible for setting the minimum wage, convened after a long hiatus last week but there was no discussion about the wages for the next year. In previous years, negotiations would have begun by this time, and the minimum basket of goods for a family of four would have been calculated.

This year, the Ministry of Labor, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare has been slow to act, and there is no indication that the government is willing to increase the minimum wage by more than 20 percent. This is despite the fact that inflation is officially at 45 to 50%, and the real cost of living is soaring. Iranian media speculate that the council will push for a 30 to 40-percent rise.

In January, Iran announced that the new base monthly salary would rise to approximately $200 with a 20-percent increase. However, the constant decline in the value of the rial now pegs it to around $160. The looming threat of further depreciation in the upcoming year presents a significant challenge, potentially diminishing the minimum wage's value relative to the dollar.

According to a report by the Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), it seems that wage negotiations this year have been marginalized more than ever before. Labor activists have condemned the government's lack of action and its unilateral stance on wage negotiations. Recently, a letter surfaced revealing that the Labor Ministry barred a worker representative from participating in council meetings due to their protest against the government's low wage proposal. ILNA described this move as "an authoritarian approach to impose terms on workers."

ILNA also cast aspersions on the legal and logical basis of remarks by Labor Minister Solat Mortazavi, who insists on the 20-percent rise while the government itself announces the inflation to be about 45 percent.

Fararu, a moderate website, says, “In the current circumstances, not only is there no hope for compensating for the inflation of over 140 percent in food stuff and the rising costs of living, but also a wage increase equivalent to the official inflation of approximately 50 percent seems unlikely.”

Against the backdrop of sluggish deliberations on the annual rise, Iran is seeing an uptick in labor protests in recent weeks, with a large number of weekly demonstrations and strikes in the country’s oil, gas, petrochemical and steel industries. 

The government's actions are seen as a threat to workers' rights and a violation of the principle of tripartism, which holds that governments, employers, and workers should have equal representation in wage negotiations, and a necessary precondition for such negotiations as mandated by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Stockholm-based economist Ahmad Alavi told Iran International that in Western countries the private sector and workers are the main decision-makers, and the government only oversees the process. He pointed out that the inflation rate, the cost of living, the growth rate and all the relevant factors are taken into account in such negotiations, however, the Iranian government does not allow the labor unions or workers’ real representatives be at the negotiation table.

Echoing the same argument, London-based labor activist Sattar Rahmani told Iran International that Iran's Supreme Labor Council is comprised of regime insiders, masquerading as union activists, who actively oppress the voices of workers. Labeling the current practice by the government illegal based on ILO’s regulations as well as the regime’s own Constitution, Rahmani said that two factors, namely the inflation rate and the basket of goods needed to avoid poverty, should be the basis for deciding on the minimum wage.

Ehsan Sohrabi, a labor activist, described the government's approach to wages as "authoritarian,” which will adversely impact the livelihood of workers, representing 50 million people of Iran’s 84 million population. He told ILNA that since 2018, when the US withdrew from the JCPOA nuclear deal and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran, “the inflation rate for food items has now exceeded 900 percent.”

All in all, the cash-strapped government is dragging its feet and insisting on a 20-percent wage increase because it seems unable to increase the minimum wage to a level that meets the cost of living. According to Meysam Latifi, a vice president and the head of Iran’s Administrative and Recruitment Affairs Organization, about 80 percent of the government’s budget is spent on paying the salaries and even raising the minimum wage for one percent will amount to a huge sum.

Media reports and statements from officials indicate that half of Iran's provinces have either closed schools or transitioned to remote learning due to the severe cold weather, gas shortages, and challenges in heating facilities since Monday.

Government offices in provinces such as Gilan and North Khorasan were also shuttered due to the weather conditions and insufficient gas supplies.

Asadollah Abbasi, the governor of Gilan, reported that more than one meter of snowfall occurred in the mountainous regions, with ongoing efforts to clear roads.

In the capital, Tehran, the Crisis Management Headquarters announced restrictions on gas supplies to state offices and industries until further notice. “Failure to adhere to these restrictions could result in gas supply cuts to offices and industries,” the headquarters warned.

Gilan airport in the north announced the cancellation of six flights to Tehran, Mashhad, and Kish due to snowfall and reduced visibility on Monday with two flights from Tehran to Kerman forced to return to their origin on Monday night due to poor visibility caused by cold and snow.

Gas shortages have become a crisis in Iran in recent years, in spite of its having one of the world’s largest gas fields.

The shortages coincide with Iran's power plants consuming mazut for months before winter to conserve gas, a practice that has contributed to severe air pollution in major cities, repeating patterns seen in previous years.

They argue that the polls have been manipulated to undermine the public's right to governance.

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, the activists stressed the urgency of reforming the electoral system to ensure genuine participation and representation.

The upcoming elections for the parliament and the Assembly of Experts, scheduled for March 1, are encountering boycotts from various sectors of society including notable figures, political factions, and even people incarcerated for their dissenting views.

"The failed politics of participation and presence in the elections, in any case and at any cost, has never succeeded, as evidenced by repeated trials and bitter historical experiences in recent decades," reads the statement.

Amidst growing skepticism, Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, has called for public engagement in the elections. However, recent polls reveal significant disillusionment, with over three-quarters of Iranians expressing their intention to abstain from voting.

“Without a genuine revival of the electoral institution, real participation and presence will not occur,” added the statement.

In the previous elections for the parliament, over half of Iranians refrained from participating. Experts anticipate that the upcoming elections may witness historically low turnout rates, reflecting widespread disillusionment with the Islamic Republic's governance.