CHRI – “It’s always the prisoner who gets punished, not the guard.” Three political prisoners serving life sentences have been transferred from Rajaee Shahr Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, to Orumiyeh Central Prison in West Azerbaijan Province, 444 miles away, without a court order. The Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned that Mohammad Nazari, Khalid Fereydouni, …

Al-Monitor – The abrupt resignation of Lebanon’s Prime Minister Saad Hariri during a trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month and the events surrounding his presence in Riyadh appear to have increased Iran-Saudi tensions and brought to the fore the possibility of a new military confrontation in the region. The recent developments come just over one year after the deal …

Al-Monitor – When Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, makes public appearances, there are often two individuals trailing close behind him: the white-turbaned Ayatollah Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, head of the Office of the Supreme Leader, and the balding Vahid Haghanian, a towering, plump man partial to multipocketed raincoats. Haghanian’s official title is deputy for special affairs for the Office of …

Radio Farda – More than a week after a 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit western Iran, icy rains are expected as many survivors still face a shortage of aid supplies such as heating appliances, tents, and plastic covers.  “The situation in earthquake-hit areas needs attention; otherwise, we are going to face a disaster worse that the earthquake itself,” Farhad Tajari, a member …

PayvandNews – Iran and the EU have started their third round of high-level talks following the 2016 implementation of a nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world countries.  Helga Schmid, the EU’s deputy political director, met Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in Tehran Monday to discuss issues of mutual interest, the state news agency IRNA reported. Left: Helga Schmid, …

RFL/RE  – Turkey’s Foreign Minister Melvin Cavusolgu is hosting his Russian and Iranian counterparts at the Mediterranean Sea resort of Antalya to prepare the ground for Wednesday’s summit in Russia to discuss Syria.

koreatimes― A key UN Committee has condemned Iran’s widespread use of the death penalty and has urged the Islamic Republic to eliminate “all discrimination and rights violations against women and girls. ” In a separate resolution, the Third Committee roundly chastised North Korea’s grave human rights situation and the communist country’s consistent use of torture and prison camps to control …

washingtonpost – Justice Department officials are preparing to announce several cases involving Iranian suspects in the coming month, including charges stemming from the high-profile hacking of HBO, according to people familiar with the matter. By Devlin Barrett Last month, national security prosecutors at the Justice Department were told to look at any ongoing investigations involving Iran or Iranian nationals with …

RFL/RE – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on the authorities to provide more aid for the survivors of a devastating earthquake that hit the country’s west more than a week ago. Khamenei spoke on November 20 during a visit to Kermanshah Province, which was hit hard by the 7.3-magnitude quake that killed at least 530 people and …

RFL/RE – An Israeli cabinet minister has indicated that Israel has had secret contacts with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries over their mutual concerns about Iran, an apparent first acknowledgment by a senior official about covert dealings. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz made the comments on November 19 during an interview with Israel’s Army Radio, but he did not …