Iran Human Rights -Two prisoners were hanged on drug charges and another two on murder charges at Urmia’s central prison (West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran).Two prisoners were reportedly hanged at Urmia’s central prison on the morning of Monday January 23. According to close sources, the prisoners were sentenced to death on murder charges. Close sources have identified these prisoners as …

Amnesty  – Iranian human rights defender and writer Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee, sentenced to six years in prison for writing a story about the cruel practice of stoning, was rearrested on Sunday and the judicial review of her conviction is being illegally blocked, said Amnesty International today. Golrokh Ebrahimi Iraee was returned to Evin prison after being picked up by Revolutionary …

AL-monitor – As Barack Obama left the White House on Jan. 20, transferring power to Donald Trump, assessments were made about his legacy and whether he fulfilled his promises. To Iranians, one of the most noted of these pledges was the focus on diplomacy to resolve the stalemate over Iran’s nuclear program. AUTHOR Saeid Jafari In an August 2007 speech at the Woodrow …

Al-monitor -Ever since the Jan. 8 death of Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iranian media have been speculating about who will replace him as the chairman of the Expediency Council. AUTHOR Rohollah Faghihi Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei directly appoints the members of the council, which is tasked with resolving differences between the parliament and the Guardian Council. Moderates and Reformists have been …

RFL/RE –  Four months ahead of Iran’s presidential election, the absence of a clear challenger to face incumbent Hassan Rohani has led to talk that the gray-bearded clerics who dominate Iran’s opaque system might bet on a woman. By Golnaz Esfandiari Marzieh Vahid Dastjerdi is an Iranian university professor and former lawmaker. She was Iran’s minister of health and medical education. …

PayavdNews- A public campaign has been launched aimed at creating jobs for socially vulnerable women nearly two months before the new Iranian year starts on March 20. The campaign with the motto of “Presenting a job, as the new year’s gift” is arranged by the Society of Awareness, Knowledge and Growth (Bavar NGO) to create job opportunities for the women …

RFL/RE – Iran says it is too early to assess U.S. President Donald Trump because his stance on many issues is not yet fully known. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said on January 23 that “we cannot yet have an accurate evaluation of [Trump’s] positions” because “unlike the previous presidents…[Trump] is not clear and certain on his views.” Qasemi, …

Al-Arabia – Iran, Russia and Turkey will establish a trilateral mechanism to observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire in Syria, preventany provocations and determine exactly how the ceasefire will work, the three nations said in a joint statement. Concluding the Syria talks in Astana, Tehran, Moscow and Ankara also said they supported the willingness of the armed opposition …

Al-Arabia – Iran continues to provide the Taliban with missiles to hit Afghan forces, the governor of Helmand province told Afghanistan’s daily newspaper Hayat Allah Hayat. He stated that ten rockets were fired by the Taliban at government headquarters in Helmand province, which borders Pakistan, and that the inscription on the missiles showed that they were made in Iran. Afghan …

Iranhumanrights.org – Kamal Foroughi, a 77-year-old ailing British-Iranian dual citizen and former civil engineer incarcerated at Evin Prison in Tehran since May 2011, has been denied previously promised and urgently required extended medical leave, his son, Kamran Foroughi, told the Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “For the Iranian authorities we have a simple message: Please let Dad come home,” …