Al-Monitor – Despite having done so already twice, albeit under severe pressure from his own Cabinet, US President Donald Trump has made his intentions clear to American journalists that he does not plan on certifying Iran’s compliance with the nuclear deal signed between Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council plus Germany. European leaders have warned the United …

Al-monitor – Iran’s parliament opened negotiations on President Hassan Rouhani’s proposed second-term Cabinet on Aug. 15. That day, the re-elected moderate president said he had been “under no pressure from any faction, party or group” in picking his 17 choices for minister posts. Yet state media outlets reported in July that Rouhani had traveled to the city of Mashhad to discuss his proposed list with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Several prominent figures …

PayvandNews -The first phase of an enormous healthcare city was officially inaugurated in the city of Isfahan, central Iran, on Monday as the country avidly seeks to surge its global share of the medical tourism market. Health Minister Hassan Qazizadeh-Hashemi accompanied by several provincial officials cut the ribbon on Isfahan Healthcare City which is comprised of orthopedic, obstetrics and gynecology …

PayvandNews – Trade exchange between Iran and Europe increased 94 percent in the first half of 2017 from the same time in 2016, based on the latest figures released by the European Union’s statistics agency Eurostat. Volume of Iran-EU trades before and after sanctions (source: Islamic Republic News Agency) Iran-Europe trade stood at 9.9 billion Euros in the first six months of …

PayvandNews — As evidence displays, the capital’s air pollution and traffic congestion are amongst the main concerns of the newly-elected Tehran City Council.  During the first session of the fifth Tehran City Council on Wednesday, the chairman Mohsen Hashemi highlighted the need for following-up on different urban management plans with the aim of reducing traffic congestion and decreasing air pollution in …

RFL/RE – Before she was appointed as Iran’s vice president for legal affairs, law expert and college professor Laya Joneydi followed the obligatory Islamic dress code by covering her hair with a scarf and wearing a coat and pants to cover her body. In announcing her appointment to the cabinet, the Iranian government website posted a statement and a photo of …

RFL/RE – Iran’s new communications minister has said that negotiations are under way to stop blocking Twitter, which has been banned for years despite being used by the country’s top leaders. The microblogging platform was barred in 2009 after mass protests broke out against the reelection of former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad. Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi told the state-owned Iran daily newspaper on …

Al-Arabia – International concern is rising for more than a dozen political prisoners in Iran who are on hunger strike. Amnesty International issued a statement on Tuesday describing their conditions as “cruel, inhuman and degrading”. Amnesty International said that prisoners at Raja’i Shahr prison were recently transferred to a newly opened area where conditions are suffocating. “They are held in cells …

VOA — Qatar said Wednesday that it had decided to return its ambassador to Tehran, more than 20 months after he was recalled in protest over the ransacking of Saudi Arabia’s missions in Iran. Demonstrators in Iran were angry at Riyadh’s execution of a Shi’ite Muslim cleric convicted on terrorism charges. The Qatari decision came amidst a row between Doha and …

VOA – Iran’s growing role in the Syria conflict is a “threat” to Israel, the Middle East and the world, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Iran is putting in great efforts to fortify its presence in Syria,” he added in remarks translated into Russian and posted Wednesday on the Kremlin’s website. FILE – A missile is fired from city …