Amnesty Urges A Halt To Execution Threat For Iranian Protester

The organization's budget has been always on the rise, but this is the first time the government increases it to such gigantic proportions in local currency. The increase is less significant in US dollars, due to the steady devaluation of Iran’s currency. Some Iranian media and political activists say the ultraconservative Paydari Party's influence in the Iranian parliament (Majles), in the government and its political interest in the state TV played a major part in the budget rise.

Both the state TV (IRIB) and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) are crucial entities in the eyes of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, serving to protect his regime and spread his ideology globally. However, despite their significance, these organizations have been facing challenges.

Observers inside and outside Iran note that, based on research conducted by various agencies, including the state TV's own polling agency, the IRIB's legitimacy and political impact have eroded. The state TV's popularity has declined significantly, from 57 percent to just 11 percent, as many Iranians increasingly turn to social media and foreign-based satellite television for news, entertainment, and political insights.

A chart highlighting the rise in the IRIB's budget from less than 5 trillion to 240 trillion rials between 2011 and 2024 reveals Khamenei’s support for the state TV. The most recent increase shows President Ebrahim Raisi’s support also, as IRIB downplays his lackluster record and failures by highlighting fabricated achievements.

Last September, the IRIB announced a 20 percent decline in the popularity of its TV series. Subsequently, the state TV began to call on celebrities to produce popular shows for it. However, it has acknowledged recently that the popularity of shows, which address young Iranians, are less than 5% and a show called Non-Stop, has only 2% viewership. Channel 3 that broadcasts Non-Stop was until recently the number one channel in Iran.

Meanwhile, the polling agency ISPA said in December that only 9.37 percent of Iranians follow the news on the IRIB. The figure, according to the IRIB was 51 percent in 2017. During the current year, IRGC-linked Fars and Tasnim and government-owned ISNA warned the government in several reports about the unpopularity of the state TV and the sharp decline of its viewership. Trust in IRIB news has been constantly declining during the past six years, the reports said.

The IRIB has defended the rise in its budget arguing that it is not too much in comparison to the major media outlets in the West. Social media users reminded that while most of the big TVs in Europe and the United States have around 10,000 to 20,000 staff members, the IRIB has a bulky staff of over 50,000 people.

Hardliners in Iran also defended the state TV with some calling it "the nation’s honor." They claim that IRIB is the only media outlet that defends Iranian culture and identity, although most of its programs are Shiite religious propaganda. Most Iranians characterize IRIB's output unrelated to Iran's age-old culture and unique identity and scold the state TV for being Palestine's rather than Iran's national TV.

Khabar Online wrote in a report that IRIB has not been successful in promoting the Islamic Republic's ideology either. Shadmehr Rastin, a media critic, told the website that the most IRIB can do is to preserve its current 10% viewership. However, he noted that according to hardliner politician Vahid Jalili the deputy director of the IRIB and a Paydari member, it still has a 24 percent viewership. However, Jalili was not able to quote any research to back up his claim. According to Khabar Online, IRIB insiders say that the state TV produces its programs for only 10 percent of Iran's population who support the regime and its ideology.

Speaking about the current state and future prospects of Iran during the general assembly of the Iranian Medical Society, Mohammad-Reza Zafarqandi expressed deep concern, noting that vital signs pointing to an emigration crisis have reached a critical juncture.

Zafarqandi emphasized the alarming increase in demand for permission from the medical system for professionals seeking to leave the country. Amidst the celebrations marking the 45th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, he lamented the challenges faced by the country, saying "A system that was supposed to be dignity and prosperity based on the principles of republicanism, Islam, has brought Iran face to face with challenges and failures in all three aspects."

Additionally, he highlighted the distant path taken in the Islamic aspect of the system, deviating from the ideals of justice, ethics, freedom, and rights, as initially envisioned during the revolution.

The Secretary-General drew attention to critical conditions prevailing in various sectors, including the economy, politics, academia, environment, and public health. He stressed the alarming decline in social capital and trust in governance.

Furthermore, Zafarqandi revealed alarming statistics, indicating that approximately 80 percent of medical students are considering leaving the country.

“Many professors from the country's universities are leaving. Today, important fields such as heart surgery, emergency medicine, anesthesia, and many medical fields do not have volunteer applicants, and residency positions remain vacant," he warned.

According to Defending the Free Flow of Information (DFI) latest monthly report released on Friday, three journalists were detained during the month, while another journalist was apprehended to serve a sentence. Additionally, four journalists, in separate cases, were collectively sentenced to three years of imprisonment, fines amounting to 200 million rials (equivalent to approximately 350 dollars), two years of exile, and a two-year ban on leaving the country or engaging in online activities.

The charges levied against journalists during the period ranged from spreading misinformation to undermining public opinion, anti-government propaganda, disregarding hijab, insulting the political leadership, and disclosing classified documents.

Moreover, the press courts handed down criminal convictions against eight journalists, with sentences ranging from imprisonment to other punitive measures. Five journalists or media managers faced formal charges, leading to property confiscation for one individual and personal belongings seized by security institutions for another.

Throughout January, at least 13 newspapers and news websites came under judicial scrutiny, further exacerbating concerns regarding press freedom in the country.

The situation in Iran reflects a broader global issue, with Iran a leading persecutor of journalists among the ranks of China, Russia, and Belarus, and one of the most oppressive regimes concerning freedom of expression and media liberties. The pervasive nature of the crackdown on freedom of expression extends even to government-controlled media, highlighting the extent of the challenge facing journalists and media practitioners in Iran.

“We reaffirm our support for and solidarity with resistance movements in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, and the region,” IRGC-affiliated Tasnim news agency quoted Ali al-Qahoum, a member of Yemeni Houthis’ politburo, as saying.

Hotuhis, who receive extensive assistance from Iran, are part of Tehran's web of armed groups throughout the region.

On Friday night, the United States hit about 85 targets linked to IRGC Quds Force and affiliated militia groups in Iraq and Syria.

The strikes were carried out in response to an attack on January 28 by Iran-backed militants against a US base in Jordan which claimed the lives of three American soldiers and left more than 40 injured.

So far, there has been no reaction from Iranian officials to US strikes. However, in what can be interpreted as an indirect reaction, IRNA, the Iranian state news agency, published a report highlighting Iran’s “defensive and military capabilities.”

Though US President Joe Biden and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin vowed to hold accountable “all” sides who had a part in the deadly Jordan incident, White House National Security Spokesperson John Kirby said Monday that Washington is not seeking conflict with Iran or regional escalation.

On Friday, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi remarked that “the enemy cannot take any action against us because it knows that our forces are powerful and capable.”

“Previously...they used to talk with threats and military options on the table. But now, there are no such talks, and they say they have no intention of conflict with the Islamic Republic. It is the strength of our people and our armed forces that has created this deterrence,” he went on to say.

Minutes into Saturday (3 February) local time, US military hit more than 85 sites belonging to IRGC Quds Force and its allied armed groups, in retaliation for last weekend’s drone attack on a US base in Jordan which killed 3 American soldiers and wounded more than 30.

“‘This is the start of our response,” US secretary of defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement shortly after the attack.. “The President has directed additional actions to hold the IRGC and affiliated militias accountable for their attacks on U.S. and Coalition Forces. These will unfold at times and places of our choosing.”

More than 125 precision munitions were employed in the 30-minute attack, according to US Central Command. The targets included “command and control operations centers, intelligence centers,” and drone and missile storages belonging to “militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and Coalition forces.”

The operation was by far the biggest and most extensive attack against Iran and its proxies since last October. Its impact, however, is harder to gauge in the absence of reliable information. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor has claimed that at least 18 Iran-backed fighters have been killed in the strikes –their nationalities still unknown.

However, early Saturday, AlJazeera reported that IRGC Quds force had no base in the targeted areas, raising more questions about the merits of the operation after nearly a week of public chatter that can give potential targets enough notice to relocate or shelter.

“Unfortunately, the administration waited for a week and telegraphed to the world, including to Iran, the nature of our response,” US House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote on X. “Now is the time for President Biden to wake up to the reality that his policy of placating Iran has failed.”

Shortly after the airstrikes, President Biden reiterated that he doesn’t want a war with Iran. “But let all those who might seek to do us harm know this,” he added, if you harm an American, we will respond.”

Armed groups in Syria and Iraq, funded and trained by Iran, have launched more than 150 attacks against American soldiers since Israel began its onslaught against Gaza.

“Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups continue to represent a direct threat to the stability of Iraq, the region, and the safety of Americans,” CENTCOM commander Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla said Friday night. .” We will continue to take action, do whatever is necessary to protect our people, and hold those responsible who threaten their safety."

US officials told reporters that the Biden administration has no plans to bomb Iran, even though they believe that it had armed the groups behind the Tower 22 attack.

“The goal here is to get these attacks to stop,” US national security spokesperson John Kirby said. “We’re not looking for a war with Iran.”

Experts say the retaliatory strikes Friday night were clearly designed to minimize the risk of a direct confrontation between the US and Iran, while destroying the latter’s arsenal in Syria and Iraq. In the Congress, many are opposed –and have been opposed– to the idea of a cautious and limited response.

“Iran and its proxies have tried to kill American soldiers and sink our warships 165 times while the Biden administration congratulates itself for doing the bare minimum,” Senator Roger Wicker of the Armed Services Committee posted on X. “Instead of giving the Ayatollah the bloody nose it deserves, we continue to give him a slap on the wrist.”

But the director of operations of the Joint Staff Gen Sims, rejected the notion that the delay in response to the killing of American soldiers was to give Iran time to pull its forces out of danger. The targets of the retaliation, he pointed out, would have scattered as soon as their weapons had been fired, so the 5-day delay did not make much difference. But there were many reports by news agencies and local observers who noted Iran was pulling out top commanders and assets from potential target areas.