Iran news in brief, April 16, 2019

Iran news in brief, April 16, 2019

One Million More Iranians Live in Slums Due to Rising Prices

Speaking to the state-run ILNA news agency Ali Kord a member of Iran Regime parliament’s social commission stated one million more people have become slum dwellers in the past 12 months, because of rising cost of living.

Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development last July announced that 19 million people live in shanty towns around cities, a figure that constitutes 24 percent of the country’s population.

Italy's UniCredit to Pay $1.3 Bln to Settle U.S. Sanctions Probe

Italy's top bank UniCredit SpA and two subsidiaries have agreed to pay $1.3 billion to U.S. authorities to settle probes of violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran and other countries, U.S. authorities said on Monday.

In addition, UniCredit Bank AG, the bank's German unit, agreed to plead guilty to federal and New York state criminal charges for illegally moving hundreds of millions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned entities, the U.S. Department of Justice and Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. said.

Iranian Regime Has Executed at Least Four Prisoners Since April

On Monday, April 15, 2019, a prisoner identified as Abdal Zahedani was executed in Dastgerd Prison of Isfahan, central Iran.

Also on Thursday, April 11, 2019, the Iranian regime executed two prisoners in Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, south-central Iran.

on April 7, 2019, a prisoner identified as 36-year-old Davoud Mohebzadeh was hanged in the central prison of Gorgan, northern Iran.

Iran's Ministry of Intelligence Arrests Protesters, Volunteer Relief Workers

The Iranian Regime’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security have arrested a number of individuals who voluntarily involved in providing relief to the flood survivors in Ahvaz, southwest Iran.

MOIS agents on Saturday and Sunday arrested a t least 25 individuals taking part in recent protests seen in the past few days, along with numerous relief workers voluntarily providing independent support to the flood-hit areas, all out of their own pockets.

According to the Iran Human Rights Monitor Some 22 volunteer relief workers who were arrested on Sunday are identified as.

US Officially Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guards a Terrorist Group

The United States officially designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a foreign terrorist organization, according to a notice published in the US Federal Register on Monday.

The IRGC is in charge of Iran’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs.

It also is involved with the country’s banking and shipping industries.

Newt Gingrich: Iran Regime Has a Viable Alternative

Former US House Speaker Newt Gingrich issued a statement in support of a Washington Times article written by Governor Tom Ridge, the first US Homeland Security Secretary. The article is titled, “Yes, the Iran regime has a viable alternative.”

Mr. Gingrich said in his statement: “Yes, I too, assert that the Iranian regime has a viable alternative,”.

Tom Ridge Said: “It is not a moderate regime; it is a ruthless, violent, totalitarian and incompetent regime. But there is an alternative, a better way, a new way: The NCRI, led by Madame Rajavi, who has been working toward a free, prosperous and non-nuclear Iran with an excellent culture and history and a viable population that could join the global community.”