RFL/RE – British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson says there is “absolutely no doubt” the 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers will survive despite the decision by U.S. President Donald Trump not to recertify the deal. Johnson, in a London speech on foreign affairs on October 23, said after meeting with the “most influential figures” in the U.S. Congress — …

Al-Arabia – The Iraqi government has dismissed a call from US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for Iranian-backed paramilitary units that helped Baghdad defeat ISIS to end operations in Iraq. Speaking after a meeting on Sunday with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, Tillerson said it was time for the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) militias and …

Iran Human Rights – Ahmad Reza Jalali (Djalali), an Iranian physician and researcher, has been sentenced to death by the Revolutionary Court’s Judge Salavati , on the charges of “espionage and collaboration with enemies”. Iran Human Rights (IHR) strongly condemns the execution of Ahmad Reza Jalali. Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director and spokesperson of IHR said, “Mr. Jalali was tried and sentenced to …

Al-monitor – Now that US President Donald Trump has decertified Iran’s compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) — despite all evidence to the contrary — much attention has been focused on the reverberations in Washington and within the Transatlantic alliance. No less important, however, are the emerging policy ramifications in Tehran. Contrary to assertions at home and conjecture abroad, Trump’s Iran policy may in the long run strengthen rather than …

Al-Monitor – After a two-month vacancy, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has finally submitted two names to fill vacant ministries. According to speaker of parliament Ali Larijani, Rouhani proposed Mansour Gholami and Reza Ardakanian for the Science and Energy ministries, respectively. The selection and vacancies have been a source of controversy, especially for the position in the Science Ministry, which selects the heads of universities. Historically, universities have …

aljazeera -In the summer of 2012 the leading commanders of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) were confident momentum was with them. A bomb blast deep inside central Damascus had just taken out four senior commanders of the Syrian army, including the country’s defence minister, Dawoud Rajiha, and his deputy, Assef Shawkat, who was also President Bashar al-Assad’s brother-in-law. The explosion, believed …

thelocal.se -Ahmadreza Djalali, a researcher at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, has been sentenced to death in Iran, according to reports. Researcher Ahmadreza Djalali has been detained since April 2016. He was arrested in Tehran for espionage and ‘enmity with God’ – a crime which in Iran can result in the death penalty – during a visit for a conference. An Iranian citizen, the …

Al-Arabia – Despite all the brouhaha made over Iran’s “lightning” advances in Iraqi Kurdistan, the entire scene change in less than 48 hours. Tehran desperately needed to respond to US President Donald Trump’s lambasting October 13th speech launching a major policy shift and designating the Iranian regime’s crown jewel, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), as a terrorist organization. The flag representing the Kurdistan Regional …

RFL/RE – U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says it is time for Iranian-backed fighters who helped Iraq defeat the Islamic State (IS) extremist group to “go home and allow the Iraqi people to regain control.” “Iranian militias that are in Iraq, now that the fight against [Islamic State] is coming to a close, those militias need to go home,” …

VOA — Debate is intensifying in Washington on the merits and potential pitfalls, the risks and possible rewards, of the United States possibly pulling out of the international nuclear accord with Iran. The U.S. Congress has decisions to make now that President Donald Trump has withheld certifying Iran’s compliance with the pact co-negotiated by the Obama administration. As a candidate and …