Short news summary for Tuesday, August 23, 1397. Read the most important news from Iran and the world on the 23rd day of Mordad 97 here moment by moment.
The latest news: The head of the Basij Organization announced that the names of economic offenders will be disclosed. The head of the Basij Mostazafin Organization warned 'hoarders of goods' that their names will soon be announced to the public. Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar reported on what he called the 'practical program' of the Basij for discovering hoarded goods and distributing them in the market, stating that this program is 'changing hourly' across Iran. He referred to individuals who 'hoard people's necessities and hide them from the public,' labeling their actions as 'satanic' and warned that if they do not cease their actions, they will face 'revolutionary action from the Basij.' Ghaibparvar mentioned that the Basij's involvement in combating 'economic corruption' is coordinated with the judiciary, and several members of this organization have acted as 'judicial agents' in this regard.
The names of 10 'major buyers' of coins in Iran were published six months after the launch of the government coin pre-sale scheme with several month maturities by the Central Bank. At the top of this list is a young man born in 1986 named 'Sohail.S' who purchased more than 38,000 coins for approximately 55 billion tomans. In second and third places are 'Jabbar.S,' born in 1955, who bought over 27,000 coins for about 40 billion tomans, and 'Mostafa.V,' born in 1944, who purchased around 24,000 coins for about 35 billion tomans. 'Raouf.A,' born in 1941, bought 15,000 coins for about 22 billion tomans, and 'Najva.L,' born in 1955, purchased over 12,000 coins for about 17 billion tomans.
The Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine, and Trade stated that the demand for import registration has increased 3.5 times compared to the same period last year, reaching 250 billion dollars in the last four months. Mohammad Shariatmadari said that if all these orders were to be imported, it would be an unimaginable figure. The government of Hassan Rouhani announced a single exchange rate for the dollar at 4200 tomans, stating that any other rate would be considered smuggling. However, this fixed rate led to a rush among importers to register orders, which Shariatmadari attributed to a sense of access to a rent and significant profit.
Reza Khandan stated that the continued detention of Nasrin Sotoudeh is illegal. After the second month of her temporary detention, Khandan emphasized that unless the detention order is extended for the third time, her continued detention is unlawful. He mentioned that Sotoudeh has introduced three lawyers for her defense, but the prosecutor's office stated that her case falls under Article 48, requiring her to choose a lawyer from a specified list. Khandan noted that membership and administration of the 'Legam' group are among the charges added to his wife's case. Nasrin Sotoudeh was arrested in June on charges of conspiracy and propaganda against the regime.
Mostafa Tajzadeh reacted on Twitter to the prohibition of negotiations with the U.S. by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, considering it contradictory to his approach during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency. Tajzadeh noted that Khamenei labeled the oil and banking sanctions during Ahmadinejad's term as a full-scale economic war and allowed negotiations in Oman, but now blames the current economic turmoil not on sanctions but on government mismanagement and has prohibited negotiations.
The head of the anti-terrorism unit of Scotland Yard stated that the police's assessment of the incident in London is that it is considered a terrorist act. On Tuesday morning, a car sped into several pedestrians in front of the Parliament and crashed into barriers. The driver has been arrested, and witnesses reported that the driver intentionally ran over pedestrians and cyclists. No one was killed in the incident, and the injured are not in critical condition.
Drought in Germany has caused over one billion dollars in losses to farmers. Reports indicate that agricultural yields in Germany this year are expected to reach the lowest level in 24 years, with wheat production decreasing by 19% to below 20 million tons.
About half of Tehran's doctors do not pay taxes. Mohammad Reza Noori, head of the tax affairs in Tehran, stated that approximately half of Tehran's doctors do not pay taxes, with only 11,000 out of about 20,000 doctors submitting tax returns for the year 1396.
In Italy, 11 people died due to the collapse of a bridge in Genoa. The Italian Ministry of Interior reported that parts of the bridge collapsed from a height of 50 meters onto a river, train cars, and buildings.
In a meeting of the heads of the three branches of government, Hassan Rouhani appeared angry. The meeting, chaired by Rouhani, discussed major information policies aimed at combating psychological warfare and creating instability in the economy, with a focus on calming the market. Proposals were made to prevent a decrease in the supply of essential goods and subsequent price increases. The Rouhani government is facing deep economic challenges following the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, accompanied by widespread discontent across the country.