NEWS))))))

During a Friday Prayer Sermon in Tehran, Movahedi Kermani paved the

way for vicious and barbaric attacks on women, including acid attacks, but in the meantime expressed fear of women’s struggle against the regime’s barbarism. Movahedi said: 'What have you done with these mal-veiled women? You are indifferent. Shame on you all, but if you have done something, say what you have done. Why we have so many bad-veiled women walking around in this country? We know the meaning of such intolerable mal-veiled women. If the enemy finds out this situation would say, it looks like that the Iranian people are no longer devoted to the religion. They would say it is time to attack this country. Some of these women are naive and uniformed. But some are informed and they know what they are doing, that is how they choose to fight our Revolution. They make a face at us. This is exactly the war of our enemy. What can the Islamic Revolution do in such cases? How much more must the Islamic Revolution fight these enemies?

******

The Associated Press reported on Jan. 16, that President Barack Obama

came out swinging Friday against congressional attempts to slap fresh sanctions on Iran, warning such a move would likely destroy nuclear talks and increase prospects for a military showdown. Vowing to veto any sanctions that reach his desk, Obama pleaded, 'Just hold your fire.'

In an unusual move by a foreign leader, British Prime Minister David Cameron said he was personally calling U.S. senators to say that new sanctions would drive a wedge through international unity.

At that point, Obama argued, the world would lose its best chance to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

But in Washington, many lawmakers are so sceptical of the negotiations that they have insisted the U.S. move forward with additional sanctions to keep tightening the screws on Tehran.

A tense exchange between Obama and a top Democrat this week illustrated the degree to which Obama's diplomacy with Iran has rattled even members of his own party.

Menendez, who until recently chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been working across partisan lines with Sen. Mark Kirk, on new sanctions on Iran's economy that would kick in only if Iran fails to sign or live up to a nuclear deal in time. Other senators are drafting bills that would require Congress to sign off on any deal before existing sanctions are lifted. 

******

The Associated France Press reported on Jan. 15 that Germany’s foreign

minister said Thursday no more deadlines must be missed in the Iran nuclear negotiations which had entered 'a decisive phase.'

'We must now use the newly opened time window, we must leave nothing undone to reach the solution that has eluded us in recent years,' Frank-Walter Steinmeier said before the talks with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif In a brief joint press appearance with Zarif, Steinmeier said 'we probably share the understanding that this is now the decisive phase of the negotiations'.

Iran and major world powers have given themselves until late June to reach a comprehensive agreement that would prevent Tehran from developing a nuclear bomb.

Talks between Iranian regime and the P5+1 group -- the United States, Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- took place in Geneva today which seeked to break a stalemate that has seen two earlier deadlines pass without an accord.

******

50 workers of the National North drilling Company gathered in front of Oil

Ministry in Tehran on Jan. 14th, to protest against their dismissal under the pretext of financial resource deficit. 

An angry worker said that no governmental agency or organization is ready to defend the workers’ rights. Every month they lay off 50 or sometimes up to 200 workers with bogus excuses, and exactly a day later they publish notices of new hiring. If they have financial deficits to the extent that forces them to lay off their employees, why would they go out to hire the same number of dismissed employees? and with the same specialties and expertise.   

******

A number of state and local agents of the government in a bit to extort

and slap fine on shops in Alaeddin shopping complex in Jomhuri Street at 8 PM on Friday Jan. 16th clashed with vendors who reacted angrily refusing to be plunder. As the clash grew wider and drew other venders and shop owners in the fight, the agents fled the scene. 

******

A violent raid on vendors in the town of Andisheh, suburb of the capital Tehran in Iran by State Security forces was responded with a stiff resistance from the vendors on Friday Jan. 16. The security forces had planned on raiding vendors for extortion and fining shop owners for covering the loses due to low oil prices and the international sanctions. The vendors did not bow to their demands and clashed with state forces demanding their rights to be honored. The vendors say these agents of extortion always come and they ask for money, otherwise they would close our business. They say that they are being blackmailed and they are left helpless to deal with such atrocities.

******

A number of workers of Shahde-Ab factory, the producers of fruit juice in

Urumia, northwest of Iran gathered on Jan. 12th in front of regime general management office to 

protest against unpaid salaries and wages. 

******

The mayor of 'Pounak' district of Tehran-Iran, located west of the capital

alongside his henchmen went to a Sunnite Mosque on Jan. 7th where the Iranian Sunni worshipers perform Friday prayers. They welded the doors and locked up the building and evicted everybody outside the building. 

This action was taken at a time when the regime was staging a show conference of 'International Islamic Unity' in Tehran and dozens of people from other counties in the region were invited. The Iranian regime also prevented the Sunni Imam Mulana Abodoul-Hamid from leading the prayer. 

A witness said: the oppressive agents associated to mayor, insulted Mulavi Abidoulah Mousa-zadeh, the Friday prayer Imam of the Mosque, and confiscated his cell phone and personal belongings. 

******

Representatives of Koushk Bafgh mine workers travelled to Tehran to

take part in a gathering in front of the Iranian regime’s Ministry Industry to protest against unpaid or delayed salaries. They say they represent more than 260 mine workers in the area that have not received their salaries and wages.