VOA – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that Tehran and Moscow must step up cooperation to isolate the United States and help stabilize the Middle East, state TV reported. Iran and Russia are the main allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States, Turkey and most Arab states support rebel …

Al-Monitor — The diplomacy of smiles between the United States and Iran has come to an end. Not even regular old diplomacy seems to be an option anymore, with US President Donald Trump clearly stressing the importance of countering what he calls the Iranian regime’s “destabilizing activity and support for terrorist proxies in the region.” Trump took things back to square one, undoing the path …

Al-Monitor – Russian President Vladimir Putin has come to Tehran on a trip that has attracted the attention of Iranian media and has been covered as the top story online and on the front pages of newspapers worldwide. Labeling Putin the “new czar of Russia,” the Reformist Shargh daily wrote Nov. 1, “Perhaps Putin owes this [title] to getting his country out of a situation that resembles to …

PayvandNews – Iranian rock climber Elnaz Rekabi has been crowned as the champion of Asia Cup – Wanxianshan 2017 in China, and clinched a gold medal at the prestigious sports event.  On Sunday, Rekabi featured remarkable displays at the women’s bouldering final contest, and finished first.

RFL/RE – Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Tehran for talks with Iran’s leadership on the Syria crisis, the landmark 2015 international nuclear agreement, and energy cooperation, Iranian television announced on November 1.   Putin was scheduled to hold talks with President Hassan Rohani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as participating in a trilateral summit with Rohani …

VOA – Iran’s supreme leader has restricted the range of ballistic missiles manufactured in the country to 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles), the head of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said Tuesday, which limits their reach to only regional Mideast targets. The comments on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s orders appear to be an effort by Iranian authorities to contrast their missile program, which they …

CHRI – Labor activist Mahmoud Salehi was detained by security agents on October 28, 2017, while undergoing dialysis at a hospital in the city of Saqqez, in Iran’s Kurdistan Province. His son, Samerand Salehi, informed the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) that his father, who has no kidneys, was detained without receiving a summons to begin serving a one-year …

CHRI – A judge in Iran is refusing to order a psychological evaluation to determine the maturity level of Mohammad Reza Haddadi in 2003, the year he allegedly committed murder at the age of 15. CHRI – A judge in Iran is refusing to order a psychological evaluation to determine the maturity level of Mohammad Reza Haddadi in 2003, the year he allegedly committed …

Al-Monitor – Following his candidacy in the May presidential elections, First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri has appeared as a capable and likely candidate for the Reformists in Iran’s next contest in 2021. However, the recent detention of his brother over allegations of corruption may have thrown some obstacles in his path. Reports about the arrest of the vice president’s younger brother, Mahdi Jahangiri, first surfaced on …

Al-Monitor – Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), called war between Iran and the United States an impossibility. Speaking at the “World Without Terror” conference Oct. 31 in Tehran, Jafari said, “There is no doubt that a military confrontation between Iran and the United States is impossible, because they are extremely afraid of the consequences of this war. They are certain they will …