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Iran’s role in recent Saudi attack amid internal protests

By: Hassan Mahmoudi
Amid all the calls for de-escalation, Iran was responsible for the attacks on vital Saudi Arabian oil installations over the weekend that cut the global oil supplies to half.
During nationally televised remarks on Sep 17th, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said: "Iran will never hold talks with America"
Despite enduring painful economic restrictions, in his speech on May 14, 2019, he emphasizes the need for a ‘prudent resistance’ policy, to include continuing to develop Iran’s missile program, maintaining the regime’s support of terrorism abroad and blocking the protests inside the country.
In his eyes, ‘resistance’ is the key to the Islamic Republic’s forty years of survival. However, for the people of Iran, Khamenei's ‘prudent resistance’ translates into brutal suppression, rampant inflation, rising unemployment and a ruthless crackdown on all protests against corruption and hardship, by students, workers, teachers, truck drivers, nurses and many other strata of society.
The most recent evidence of Khamenei's approach was his decision to appoint 58-year-old Ebrahim Raisi, a controversial hardline cleric accused of gross human rights violations, as head of the country's influential Judiciary.
Raisi is a senior cleric and longtime prosecutor. Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the U.S. State Department blasted his appointment at the helm of the Judiciary, saying that he was involved in the "mass execution" of political prisoners in the 1980s.
Ebrahim Raisi claimed that he wanted the Iranian people to taste “the sweet flavor of justice” by reforming the judicial system to bring more justice and fairness. On the contrary, six months after being appointed to his new position, the sentences given to political prisoners indicate that the pressure on civil rights activists and opposition groups in Iran has increased. During the first six months of Ebrahim Raisi being in office, political activists were sentenced to 1,027 years in prison and 1428 lashes which is a 119% increase compared to a similar time period under his predecessor. Moreover, new waves of widespread pressure and suppressive measures have intensified against civil society and critics in Iran
According to reports, Gholamreza Ziaei, the new chief of the Iranian regime’s notorious Evin prison in Tehran, has been mounting repression against prisoners. Gholamreza Ziaei, designated by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in connection with serious human rights abuses in Iran, is responsible for ordering, controlling, or otherwise directing, the continuing commission of serious human rights abuses against persons in Iran or Iranian citizens or residents.
However, Iran's protest movements show little sign of declining. As security forces step up their crackdown, dissidents have continued to stage demonstrations. Rather than quelling dissent, experts say, Iran's repression may have emboldened activists.
"Protesters feel they have nothing to lose,"
Workers of the HEPCO company in the city of Arak, central Iran held yet another protest rally on Sunday, September 15,

demanding answers on their status as company shareholders. The protesting workers were holding a banner reading, “We HEPCO workers are making it crystal clear: Our main demand is the clarification of the company shareholding and ownership status following five years of being left in limbo. We will no longer accept merely a new company director.”
However the regime's special guard forces and police suppressive forces attacked Hepco workers brutally.

In another circumstance according to NCRI statement
In the early hours of Monday, September 16, 2019, defiant youths torched huge billboards of the Iranian regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Bassij bases in cities of Karaj (west of the capital), Orumiyeh, Khoy and Makoo,(northwest) and Roudsar and Rezvanshahr(north).

Torching the mullahs’ regime’s symbols and writing anti-government slogans on the walls as well as putting up posters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) founders and Resistance’s leaders in the past three weeks in 75 cities across Iran by the defiant youths

According to reports gathered by the Iran Human Rights Monitor, Iran sentenced more than 31 activists, workers, and journalists to lashes and prison in August for participating in protests.
The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) expressed alarm that a new wave of arrests and interrogations of female journalists had started in Iran since the beginning of August.
In a report to the General Assembly, the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran criticized the regime for its treatment of human rights defenders, members of minority communities, lawyers, journalists, labor and trade union activists and women protesting a law requiring them to wear veils known as hijab.
In another circumstance At least 30 Kurds, three Arabs, and a Baluch man were arrested by the state security forces.
At least six Kurdish porters were shot and killed by Iran’s IRGC forces while 10 others were wounded.
Two Baluch men were also shot dead by IRGC forces under the pretext of smuggling.This abuse is on-going and relentless and must be brought to an end for true justice and fairness to prevail in Iran.
Hassan Mahmoudi is a human rights advocate, specializing in political and economic issues relating to Iran and the Middle East. @hassan_mahmou1
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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