Al-Arabia – Farsi sites reported that the Iranian authorities on Monday arrested Hussein al-Shirazi, the son of Sadiq al-Shirazi, the famous Shiite cleric in Qom, because of a lecture in which he described the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei as “the pharaoh.”

Al-Arabia -French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday that all Iranian militia, including Hezbollah, must leave Syria, whose civil war has thrown the Middle East into turmoil. Asked in an interview on BFM TV whether he wanted Turkish armed forces to withdraw from Syria, Le Drian replied that he wanted: “The withdrawal of all of those who ought …

HRW – Iran executed at least three child offenders across the country in January 2018, Human Rights Watch said. Iran should immediately and unconditionally end the use of the death penalty for crimes committed by children under age 18, and move toward a complete ban on capital punishment. On January 4, authorities in Karaj prison executed Amirhossein Pourjafar for the …

Iran-hrm -Masoud Bagherzadeh Karimi, Director of the Environment Organization’s Wetland Ecosystems, said 90% of the Salahieh and Allahabad wetlands in southern Tehran had dried out. “The drying of these wetlands has become a source of dust for Tehran. This could be a major threat for Tehran and aggravate Tehran’s pollution problem”, he said. “Unfortunately, more than 90 percent of the …

Iran-hrm – There is no news available on civil activist Ghasem Heydari, 30, residing in Ahwaz, who was Kidnapped on February 1st, 2018. According to his friends, the state security forces placed a plastic hood over his head and violently whisked him to their car. There is no information available on his whereabouts.

Iran Human Rights –  Last week a juvenile offender named Mahbubeh Mofidi, who was sentenced to death on the charge of murdering her husband, was executed at Noshahr Prison. The so-called “17-year-old newly-wed” was the third juvenile offender executed in January 2018. According to a close source, on the morning of Tuesday, January 30, Mahbubeh Mofidi was hanged at Noshahr …

CHRI – Karan Vafadari: “I don’t think we will be justly treated unless there is greater and more effective international pressure.” Karan Vafadari Arrested After Obtaining Legal Order to Force IRGC to Vacate His Building” In a new letter from Evin Prison, Iranian-American art dealer Karan Vafadari has accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of pressuring the judiciary to …

Narges Hosseini, who was arrested for protesting Iran’s compulsory hijab, refused to appear in court to face charges punishable by up to 10 years, including “encouraging immorality or prostitution.” “Ms. Hosseini did not even appear in court to express remorse for her action. She said she objects to the forced hijab and considers it her legal right to express her …

Al-Monitor – Iraqi Kurds have given reassurances to Tehran that they will not allow Kurdish opposition groups to launch cross-border attacks from Iraqi Kurdistan, a major development in the warming up of relations between Erbil and Tehran. This comes as ties reached a breaking point following the controversial Sept. 25 independence referendum in Iraqi Kurdistan. “We cannot tolerate the fact …

RFL/RE – The Chairman of Iran’s influential Guardian Council and Speaker of the Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati says he is worried about what the future holds for the Islamic Republic.