Over 3 Million Child Laborers in Iran, Activist Warns

Iran has rapidly installed two more cascades, or clusters, of uranium-enriching centrifuges at its Fordow site and begun work on more while also planning others at its underground plant at Natanz, a UN nuclear watchdog report seen by Reuters said.

"On 9 and 10 June ... Iran informed the Agency that eight cascades each containing 174 IR-6 centrifuges would be installed over the next 3-4 weeks in Unit 1 of FFEP (Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant)," the confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report sent to member states on Thursday said.

"On 11 June 2024, the Agency verified at FFEP that Iran had completed the installation of IR-6 centrifuges in two cascades in Unit 1. Installation of IR-6 centrifuges in four additional cascades was ongoing," the report said, referring to one of one of Iran's most advanced centrifuge models.

While non-binding, resolutions by the International Atomic Energy Agency's 35-nation Board of Governors anger Tehran, which typically responds by accelerating its nuclear activities.

Eighteen months earlier, Iran responded to a similar resolution by enriching uranium to up to 60% purity—close to weapons-grade—at a second site and announcing a significant expansion of its enrichment program.

Reuters cited unnamed diplomats as saying Wednesday that this time Tehran plans to install more cascades, or clusters, of centrifuges, the machines that enrich uranium, at both its underground enrichment sites.

"It's not as much as I would expect," one Vienna-based diplomat said, referring to the scale of Iran's escalation. "Why? I don't know. Maybe they're waiting for the new government," they said, referring to the death in a helicopter crash last month of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian. The presidential election is due to be held on June 28.

The IAEA Board passed a resolution a week ago calling on Iran to step up cooperation with the agency and reverse its recent decision to bar visits by inspectors.

The resolution was tabled by the Britain, France and Germany, which the United States reportedly opposed but later endorsed. Only Russia and China voted against the measure.

Ali Shamkhani, a senior aide to Iran's Supreme Leader, who has been reportedly put in charge of Iran's nuclear negotiations, had warned that Iran would deliver a "serious and effective response" if European nations pursue the resolution.

Iran’s nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami claimed earlier this month that Tehran is adhering to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) agreements, but is “in the process of reducing its nuclear obligations” under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The E3 maintains that Iran has signed and ratified the NPT Safeguards Agreement but has not adhered to its legally binding obligations.

In 2018, then-US President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, arguing that the agreement did not sufficiently prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Consequently, the US re-imposed unilateral sanctions on Iran's economy.

Reuters sources did not go into specifics on the number or type of centrifuges being added or what level they would enrich to, though one diplomat said they would not be used to quickly expand Iran's production of uranium enriched to up to 60%, close to the 90% required for production of atomic bombs.

The diplomats said they would wait to see what the IAEA said Iran had actually done but they were aware of Iran's plans. The move is "at the lower end of expectations and something we're pretty sure they were going to do anyway", one diplomat said, meaning it would have happened even without the resolution.

Iran did not fully follow through on its November 2022 announcement of a tough retaliation after the previous resolution. While it installed all the centrifuges it said it would at its underground enrichment plant at Natanz, 12 cascades of one advanced model, the IR-2m, are not yet in operation.

Iran is only enriching to up to 60% at an above-ground pilot plant at Natanz and its Fordow site, which is dug into a mountain. In November 2022 it started enriching to up to 60% at Fordow but it has yet to install all the additional cascades it said it would.

IAEA Chief Rafael Grossi acknowledged last week that the agency has lost continuity of knowledge regarding the production of centrifuges, rotors and bellows, heavy water, and uranium as Iran continues to expand its nuclear program.

In response to a question by Iran International’s Ahmad Samadi about the censure resolution by the European countries, Grossi stated that the member countries must express their opinions on the matter and that the Agency is only required to comply with the resolution if it is approved.

Hossein Raisi, Tanaz Kolahchian, Mohammad Moqimi, and Nayereh Ansari, argue that such a move by the UN could potentially halve the number of executions in Iran.

They pointed out that despite years of financial and equipment support from the UN in combating drug trafficking, the Iranian government has largely ignored the underlying causes of drug crimes, “opting instead for harsh penalties without effectively addressing prevention strategies.”

“We, a group of Iranian lawyers and legal experts, are calling on the UN to put pressure on Iran’s government to change its crime policies and immediately halt drug executions. We also call on the UNODC to make the continuation of its cooperation contingent on a moratorium on drug executions,” they wrote in an open letter on Thursday.

According to a recent report by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights Organization of Iran, Iran executed at least 64 people in May alone, with drug-related charges accounting for half the executions in the first five months of the year.

Rights group Amnesty International reported in April that 853 people were executed in Iran in 2023, a record number in the last eight years. Over half of those were identified in the report as drug-related offences. A UN report corroborated the figures.

Reformist Abbas Abdi responded to the presidential aspirant by emphasizing that the credit for eased restrictions on Iran's illicit oil exports belongs not to Jalili’s intervention but to external political changes, specifically under Biden's administration. Since Joe Biden took over, Iran is said to have generated at least $88bn in oil revenue, in spite of sanctions designed to cripple Iran's commercial power.

According to figures released by Kpler, an industry analyst, Iran's oil exports have seen a substantial increase, rising from 350,000 barrels per day (b/d) in 2020 to approximately 1.5 million barrels per day (mb/d) in the first half of 2024.

However, due to the sanctions which have been levied for Iran's nuclear program, support of terror groups, human rights abuses and support of Russia's war on Ukraine, the growth in export volumes has not seen a proportionate rise in oil sale revenues.

As Iran approaches its snap presidential election on June 28 following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in May, the six final candidates, five of whom are known to be close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, are ramping up their campaigns with an array of propaganda tactics as they vie for the presidential seat.

Mohammad Mousavian, Isfahan's Revolutionary Prosecutor, cited "spreading falsehood and offensive content" and "destabilizing society's psychological stability" as grounds for legal action against the reactions to the sudden death of the President in a helicopter crash during a Presidential visit.

The judicial official said the accused were guilty of "creating, publishing, and republishing falsehood on social networks" and announced "decisive judicial action" against them as "disturbers of the psychological security of society."

After the helicopter crash which also killed the President's delegation, including the foreign minister, many Iranians living inside and outside the country rejoiced and shared their often humorous comments on social networks.

Raisi's death memes and jokes reflected the dire legitimacy crisis that has plagued the establishment under Raisi's oppressive policies which many blame for the economic catastrophe plaguing Iran today.

Iranian authorities, particularly the cyber police, have come down hard on expressions of dissent, escalating surveillance efforts and issuing numerous summonses and legal referrals.

In Kerman province alone, the prosecutor's office disclosed the identification and subsequent disciplinary action of 288 social media users on charges related to societal disruption.

Shaghayegh Mohammadi, the spouse of Esteghlal FC player Mohammad Hossein Moradmand, found herself among those targeted following the posting of a poem by Iranian poet Hafiz, which alludes to the downfall of oppressors.

The legal actions have drawn criticism from entities such as the Iranian Writers' Association, which condemned the suppression of freedom of expression and emphasized the universal right to unhindered speech.

The dire state of freedom of expression in Iran has also been highlighted by Amnesty International, whose 2024 report detailed an unprecedented level of censorship and repression by Iranian authorities, mainly targeting women and dissenting voices.

The report underscores a systematic campaign to stifle fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, through various means such as censorship, satellite channel jamming, and social media platform blocking.

Pourmohammadi committed to appointing a minister dedicated to "ending the VPN game and guaranteeing the security of users" after widespread bans on the likes of social media and dissident websites has cut swathes of Iran off from the digital world. Many have been forced to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to bypass the bans which have worsened in the wake of Iran's uprising since 2022.

Pourmohammadi's remarks have sparked controversy among Iranians who are skeptical of his sudden advocacy against internet censorship.

One user pointedly remarked on social media platform X, "Do you only remember filtering during election time?"

Further exacerbating concerns is the recent movement in the Iranian parliament to reintroduce a bill last month that could further tighten internet controls, ostensibly aimed at "protecting cyberspace users" but likely to deepen social repression.

Iran's approach to internet censorship has been a contentious issue for over two decades, with routine blocking of websites and social media applications. Many Iranians bypass the restrictions using VPNs and other tools but the government's measures have grown more severe, especially following the nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in September 2022.

In response, the government blocked major internet services like Instagram and WhatsApp which massively affected the country's SMEs where ecommerce was an essential means of survival, especially those in rural Iran.

Freedom House has ranked Iran 11/100 for internet access, calling it "not free" in its 2023 report, noting the crackdowns following 2022's uprising.