RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have allowed opposition figure Mehdi Karrubi, who has been under house arrest since 2011, to meet with an activist from his own party, the first such meeting in the past six years. Karrubi’s son, Hossein Karrubi, revealed the meeting in an October 19 interview with the Iranian news site Ensafnews. He said the meeting took place last …

VOA – Senate Republicans plan to introduce legislation that would add new conditions to the legislation that gives them review authority over the Iran nuclear deal, a longtime lawmaker says. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, told VOA the current Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is “a lousy deal” and explained President Donald Trump refused to recertify it …

CHRI – An ongoing dispute in Iran over whether religious minorities can be elected to local councils in Muslim-majority constituencies could be decided by the country’s highest arbitration body, the Expediency Council. This issue became public after the head councilman of the city of Yazd, in southeastern Iran, refused to carry out a court order suspending the membership of a fellow …

CHRI – Lawyer: Arash Sadeghi’s transfer was illegal. A man serving a 15-year prison sentence for peacefully advocating human rights in Iran has been transferred to a prison known for its inhumane conditions after photos of him smiling with other political prisoners surfaced on social media. Arash Sadeghi was transferred from Evin Prison in Tehran to Rajaee Shahr Prison, 31 miles …

CHRI – In an open letter addressing Muslim religious leaders worldwide, Mir Hossein Mousavi’s daughters have accused “some” Iranian officials of “hoping and planning” for the “gradual death” of their father, mother Zahra Rahnavard, and fellow opposition leader Mehdi Karroubi. Mousavi (75), Rahnavard (72) and Karroubi (80) have been under extrajudicial house arrest and forced isolation for more than six years for leading the peaceful protests against …

Al-Monitor – US President Donald Trump’s Oct. 13 address unveiling his administration’s new strategy toward Iran predictably sparked widespread reactions in Tehran. Unlike when Barack Obama was in office, Iranians were this time around more unified in their reaction to the tone and language of the president of the United States. After weeks of back and forth, Trump in his speech accused the Iranian …

Al-Monitor – According to Iranian opposition websites, security forces prevented former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, a Reformist, from leaving his house to attend an unspecified ceremony Oct. 18. Saham News, which is affiliated with Mehdi Karroubi, a Green Movement leader who is currently under house arrest, wrote that three cars belonging to security forces had parked outside Khatami’s home and prevented him from leaving. Though details …

PayvandNews – Iranian government spokesman Mohammad Baqer Nobakht said on Tuesday that the country’s non-oil gross domestic product grew by seven percent during the first half of the present Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22, 2017), IRIB news reported. Source: Tejarat magazine As Nobakht announced in late July, GDP of Iran, including oil sector, stood at 11.1 percent in the past Iranian calendar …

PayvandNews – French oil and gas major Total says it will try to push ahead with an Iranian gas project if the US decides to impose unilateral sanctions on the Islamic Republic.  The announcement was made by Total Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne in an interview with International Oil Daily. Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne meets Iran’s President Rohani in Tehran (July …

IOPHR – Dr. Rouhani during his 2013 presidential campaign repeatedly talked about meritocracy in the country, and continually promised that if he became president, he would look after the rights of all Iranian citizens and his compatriots – regardless of their beliefs, opinions and religion. He also stressed that all citizens will receive equal rights and promised to distribute responsibilities throughout …