English
🔸 Reports and images received from Iran show that during the 40-day commemoration ceremonies for those killed in the January protests, thousands gathered at the graves of victims of the widespread massacres by Islamic Republic security forces. While honoring their memory, they chanted slogans against Islamic Republic officials. Meanwhile, Islamic Republic institutions in Tehran and some other cities held government ceremonies to commemorate the 40th day of those who died in the protests on January 8-9, attended by government officials and handpicked individuals. @VahidHeadline
🔸 The director of Behesht Zahra organization said on Wednesday, February 18, that during the January protests, the bodies of 1,124 victims were brought to this cemetery in Tehran, claiming this number was "the intake to Behesht Zahra, not the death toll for Tehran." Mohammad Javad Tajik said: "Some of these people were killed in other cities, but because they lived in Tehran, they were buried in Behesht Zahra. For example, from Alborz province and some northern provinces, a total of 31 bodies came from other provinces. Some bodies also belonged to areas around Tehran." He also announced that 613 bodies were sent to areas around Tehran and other provinces, and 511 bodies of protest victims were buried in Behesht Zahra. He divided the January protest victims into two categories: "martyrs" and "combatants," adding that government institutions "have not yet specifically declared anyone as a combatant." Islamic Republic media and officials, after the bloody suppression of the January 8-9 protests that according to human rights organizations caused thousands of deaths, initially blamed everything on "terrorists." This narrative has changed in recent days. After Masoud Pezeshkian referred to "deceived youth" as protesters, Ali Khamenei, the Islamic Republic leader, on February 17, while calling "innocent people" killed during the suppression of January protests "martyrs," emphasized that "wherever the bullets came from, this happened in the enemy's sedition and these are martyrs." This was the first time an Islamic Republic official implicitly acknowledged that bullets might have been fired at protesting people "from anywhere." The Behesht Zahra director also denied on Wednesday receiving money from victims' relatives under the title of "bullet fee" and regarding some reports about mass burials of victims declared: "We fundamentally don't have mass graves in Iran to have them in Behesht Zahra." @VahidHeadline
🔸 Concurrent with the new round of negotiations between the Islamic Republic and America in Geneva, Iran's government, as part of a military exercise, stopped traffic in the Strait of Hormuz for hours. This action took place while Israeli sources report America and Israel's readiness for a scenario of negotiation failure. The government website Tasnim reported that in the second phase of the "Smart Control of Strait of Hormuz" exercise, vessel passage was prohibited for hours. Alireza Tangsiri, commander of the Revolutionary Guards naval force, announced that by issuing a "clear" status, vessels must remain stopped behind the Strait of Hormuz. @VahidHeadline
🔸 Reuters news agency, citing satellite images, reported that the Islamic Republic recently built a concrete shield over new facilities at the Parchin complex, about 30 kilometers southeast of Tehran, and covered it with soil. The agency also, referring to the January 29 report by the Institute for Science and International Security, added that late January satellite images show fresh efforts to bury two tunnel entrances at the Isfahan complex; a complex that America bombed in June. According to the February 9 report by this institute, filling tunnel entrances can reduce the effect of any potential air attack and also make ground access difficult for special forces operations to capture or destroy highly enriched uranium. @VahidOOnLine
🔸 Lebanon's Hezbollah group rejected this country's government decision to give the army at least four months to advance the second phase of a nationwide disarmament plan, saying it will not accept what it "considers an action serving Israel." @VahidHeadline
🔸 Negotiations between Russia, Ukraine, and America to end the Ukraine war concluded without any progress. These negotiations held in Geneva continued for long hours on Tuesday but lasted only two hours on Wednesday. Although Steve Witkoff, America's envoy, had expressed optimism about these negotiations, both Russia and Ukraine said these negotiations were "difficult." bbcpersian 📡 @VahidOnline
