Iran news in brief, June 19, 2019

Iran news in brief, June 19, 2019

Iran Regime Hangs Three Prisoners Today

Three prisoners were hanged at dawn on Wednesday in Bandar Abbas. The state-run Fars News Agency quoted the regime’s top judiciary official in Hormozgan Province as saying the trio were hanged in the city’s prison. The victims’ names were not given.

Iran is the world’s number one executioner per capita.

Iranian Pensioners and Hospital Employees Hold Protests

Iranian pensioners gathered on Tuesday outside the Parliament in Tehran to protest their inadequate pensions.

The pensioners said that the managers of their Fund make excuses not to implement the law and increase their pension.

The protesters were heard chanting: “Pensioners would die rather than accept abjection” and “We’re all together and fed up of empty promises.”

In May, retirees including government workers and teachers held three protests. They have in the past year held a number of protest rallies though none of their demands were met.

On the other hand, the employees of the Imam Khomeini public Hospital in Karaj gathered for a second consecutive day outside the municipal organization in protest to not being paid their wages for the past months and the uncertain fate of the hospital.

Two Independent Fuel Dealers Shot Dead in Iran

n a brutal act by the Iranian Regime’s Revolutionary Guards on Saturday, a young independent Balouchi fuel deliverer was shot dead outside the town of Sarbaz, southeast of Iran. He was driving a pickup truck carrying fuel containers.

Another fuel deliverer in Sistan & Balouchestan province was attacked and shot by Revolutionary Guards on Sunday. He died in Kerman hospital due to his wounds.

Germany Says There Is 'Strong Evidence' Iranian Regime Behind Tanker Attacks

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said there is “strong evidence” supporting a U.S. accusation that the Iranian regime was behind last week’s attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.

“We of course take these explanations very seriously, and there is strong evidence,” Merkel said at a news conference Tuesday.

The Pentagon on Monday released new photos and a timeline of the attacks.

Merkel also said there will be consequences if the Iranian regime doesn't uphold its end of the nuclear pact.

 “We are pushing for Iran to keep to (the nuclear pact) - if that is not the case, there will of course be consequences,” she said.

Pompeo: US Must Be Able to Respond to Any Iranian Attack

The United States must have the capability to respond to any Iranian attack on US interests, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday.

He spoke at the Florida headquarters of US Central Command, which oversees the US forces in the Middle East, a day after the US said it was sending another 1,000 troops to the region in response to what it called hostile behavior by Tehran.

That deployment should “convince the Islamic government of Iran that we are serious and to deter them from further aggression in the region,” Pompeo said.