Iran: City of Tehran Becomes Deserted as Israeli Attack Continues

After days of Israeli strikes, Iranian streets, particularly in the capital city, Tehran, have become deserted. The Israeli military issued a partial evacuation order early Monday, June 16, for 330,000 residents in central Tehran. By early Tuesday, June 17, the city's downtown began to empty, with many shops and the historic Grand Bazaar closed.

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Residents of the countryside villages gathered to spend time in a cafe. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 2, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Residents of the countryside villages gathered to spend time in a cafe. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 2, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

A man plays his kopuz while people having their meal. Residents of the countryside villages gathered to spend time in a cafe. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 2, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Lake Urmia Going Dry After 12,000 Years - Iran

Residents of the countryside villages gathered to spend time in a cafe. The 2023-2024 water year, which started on October 1, was hardly four weeks old when Iran’s Lake Urmia, once the Middle East’s largest lake and the sixth-largest saltwater lake on Earth, was reported to have gone dry. Studies show such an occurrence had not happened in 12,000 years. On October 9, as secretary of the Headquarters to Revive Lake Urmia, Mohammad Sadegh Motamediyan, governor of West Azerbaijan province, where part of the late sits, went on the Tehran TV network to claim that the lake still contained a certain volume of water. But satellite images and aerial footage later captured at the lake, on October 16, belie those claims. Urmia, Iran, November 2, 2023. Photo by Hamid/Middle East Images/ABACAPRESS.COM

Tehran residents mourn female victim of terror attack

STORY: Tehran residents mourn female victim of terror attack SHOOTING TIME: Jan. 5, 2024 DATELINE: Jan. 6, 2024 LENGTH: 00:03:00 LOCATION: Tehran CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: 1. various of a funeral ceremony held in Iranian capital Tehran STORYLINE: A funeral ceremony was held in the Iranian capital Tehran on Friday to lay one of the women killed in a terror attack in the southeastern city of Kerman to rest, the official news agency IRNA reported. The ceremony was held after the Friday prayers at Imam Khomeini's Mosalla in the presence of the worshippers, the report said. Identified as Faezeh Rahimi, the victim's body was transferred Thursday night to Tehran from Kerman, where she had gone to take part in the fourth anniversary of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani's death in a U.S. drone strike, according to IRNA. Rahimi was a 20-year-old student of science education, the report said, adding Tehran's interim Friday Prayers leader Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami led the funeral prayer for her. According to st

Iranians blame U.S. sanctions for severe air pollution

STORY: Iranians blame U.S. sanctions for severe air pollution DATELINE: Jan. 9, 2023 LENGTH: 0:02:14 LOCATION: Tehran CATEGORY: ENVIRONMENT SHOTLIST: 1. various of air pollution in Tehran 2. SOUNDBITE 1 (Persian): ALI MARDANI, Tehran resident 3. SOUNDBITE 2 (Persian): REZA KESHAVARZ, Crisis analyst STORYLINE: The air pollution in Iran's capital Tehran has reached an alarming level this winter and has aroused people's concerns over its health impacts on local residents. SOUNDBITE 1 (Persian): ALI MARDANI, Tehran resident "We have lived in this city for many years. Between seven and ten years ago, the air was not as polluted as it is now. It is true that the number of factories and cars has increased, but the fuel which was used for cars and refineries at that time was not the one burned at present." While some have pointed out multiple factors causing the pollution, others blame the decades-long U.S. sanctions against Iran. SOUNDBITE 2 (Persian): REZA KESHAVARZ, Crisis analyst "In general, it (polluti