RFL/RE – Iran’s judiciary says the former head of the country’s largest state-controlled bank who fled to Canada amid a massive embezzlement case has been handed a lengthy prison sentence in absentia. Mahmud Reza Khavari (file photo) Mahmud Reza Khavari, the former head of Bank Melli Iran, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “disrupting the economic system,” Iranian news …

newsmax – Today is Human Rights Day! Is this a day for celebration or mourning? Ordinarily, such a day would be for festivity; but, this day is not a usual moment in time. Why? The Iranian regime is the source of human rights abuses. Iran is not a typical state. It has the trappings of being normal, when, in fact, …

nrttv – An Iranian court has sentenced a young woman of Kurdish origin to prison and ordered her to receive 50 lashes as punishment for participating in an event recognizing the referendum on Kurdistan independence in northern Iraq. Zamana Zewia, a student at Payam Noor University in Saqqez, was accused of “acting against national security,” “participating in illegal gatherings” and “disrupting …

Reuters – Russian President Vladimir Putin told Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday he wanted to work with Iran and Turkey to kick-start the Syrian peace process, Russian news agencies reported. Putin was also cited as telling Assad he hoped that it would be possible to launch the work of the Syrian Congress on National Dialogue and that he would …

VOA —As Iraq emerges from three years of war with the Islamic State group, the U.S. is looking to roll back the influence of neighboring Iran and help the central government resolve its dispute with the Kurdish region, the American envoy to the country told The Associated Press. U.S. Ambassador Douglas Silliman took up his post in Baghdad in September …

Bloomberg – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani submitted a $337 billion draft budget to parliament that earmarks about $100 billion for public service programs that would create jobs, address a banking crisis and introduce a new social security program. Rouhani told lawmakers that the budget was based on oil prices forecast at $55 a barrel, according to an advance text of …

heraldscotland – WHEN Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei looks west from his Tehran residence, he can be forgiven a wry smile. An arc of Iranian influence from the Shia republic to the shores of the Mediterranean is taking shape in the increasingly troubled and unpredictable Middle East, slowly but certainly surely. And his great adversary in a campaign for …

CNN – Hopes that a British woman jailed in Iran will soon be freed rose Sunday following a visit to Tehran by UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s court appearance scheduled for Sunday on fresh espionage charges was postponed following Johnson’s discussions with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, her husband Richard Ratcliffe said in a statement. “This is undoubtedly a …

VOA – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday he has ordered his military to withdraw a “significant part” of Russia’s forces from Syria. He made the announcement during a surprise visit to Russia’s Hemeimeem airbase in Latakia province, where he also met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Russian forces joined the Syrian conflict in late 2015 in support of Assad’s …

RFL/RE – British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has arrived in Iran to lobby for the release of an Iranian-British woman jailed in Tehran.