October 1 – Iran has resumed its development of a nuclear facility located near Kermanshah Province in western Iran, according to a report by imagery intelligence company the Intel Lab.
Images shared on the service’s Twitter account showed the creation of a new ballistic missile facility in January near the Bakhtaran missile base, and new construction activity which resumed in August after a seven month pause.
Analysts monitoring Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities have suggested that the base could be a launching point for missiles against Europe, Israel and the Persian Gulf States.
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed a new head of the country’s state TV following a sharp drop in viewing figures.
Hardline official Payman Jebelli previously worked as deputy political director of the station. He was also the deputy secretary for media at Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
A survey run by a state-run polling agency in Iran said viewership for the TV channel had steadily declined in the last five years.
The poll also found that most people watching the station were 50 years of age or older, and that young viewers who had become disillusioned with Iran’s government were accessing social media to get the news.
And a woman in Iran has died by suicide, prompting criticism of Iran’s failing economy, on social media. The mother of three set herself on fire following an argument with her husband about a lack of money to buy her children items for school.
The husband, who is employed by a municipality in Iran, had not been paid for several months and was badly burned during the argument.
Both the parents were taken to hospital, where the mother later died.
