Al-monitor – Hassan Rouhani’s re-election on May 19 is welcome wind in the sail of the moderate political forces in Iran. The sharp rise in the index of the Tehran Stock Exchange can also be seen as an indication that economic players view the election results as a positive development. AUTHOR Bijan Khajehpour During the election campaign, the Rouhani camp …

PayvandNews – Six women have been elected to Tehran’s 5th city council election, registering a record high out of the total 21 members.  The number of female councilors has been doubled in the 5th council elections compared with the previous rounds, in which women’s number was not more than three, Khabaronline reported here on Sunday. The 6 women elected to Tehran City Council …

lobelog -The first Western leader to congratulate Hassan Rouhani on his re-election as Iran’s president on May 19 was the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. It is clearly an indicator of the importance the EU attaches to relations with Iran. Also remarkable is Mogherini’s message lauding Iranians for “passionately taking part in the political life of their …

PayvandNews – The European Union’s trade with Iran amounted to 5.3 billion Euros in the first quarter of 2017, a 165 percent rise from 2 billion Euros in the first quarter of 2016, based on the latest figures released by the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat. The EU’s exports to Iran stood at 2.53 billion Euros during January-March this year, …

VOA – U.S. President Donald Trump visited Israel on Monday, where he reaffirmed Washington’s close ties with Israel, slammed mutual rival Iran, and spoke optimistically about the possibility of peace with the Palestinians. VOA White House correspondent Steve Herman reports from Jerusalem.  

HRANA News Agency – Most residents of Rowshan Kooh village of Mazandaran province are of the Baha’i Faith, and this issue, in recent years, has been the cause of discrimination, especially in the field of construction in the village. In the last instance the Department of Natural Resources of Mazandaran has claimed the forest land has been occupied by the …

Al-monitor – US President Donald Trump’s landmark speech in Saudi Arabia May 21 signals a reversal of policy from the Barack Obama administration and will ratchet up tensions with Iran. A day after a record-breaking 42 million Iranians signaled their desire to engage the world by re-electing President Hassan Rouhani, Trump appeared in an autocratic monarchy to call on “nations of conscience” to “isolate” Iran. …

Al-monitor – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani held his first press conference May 22 following his re-election. Answering a question regarding the recent gathering of 55 countries in Saudi Arabia to coincide with the visit of US President Donald Trump, Rouhani described the summit as merely a “show” without any political value. AUTHOR Rohollah Faghihi “To combat terrorism, giving the money of a nation to …

washingtonpost — Iran’s newly re-elected President Hassan Rouhani took barbed swipes at the U.S. and its ally Saudi Arabia on Monday, hitting back at both a day after President Donald Trump used his first foreign trip to the kingdom to call for further isolation of Iran. By Adam Schreck | AP The 68-year-old cleric, a political moderate within Iran who secured a resounding victory …

RFL/RE – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it is likely he will eventually speak to his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, “at the right time,” although he has no plans to talk to him at this point. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson (L) & Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif Tillerson’s comments came on May …