Iran-HRM – Mehdi Narouie, a prisoner detained in the Zahedan Central Prison, was beaten by Mohammad Ali Alizadeh, the head of the prison ward, for protesting the judge’s decision on now allowing him a furlough from prison.

Iran-HRM – Sunni prisoner Soleiman Pirouti, who will be released in 18 more months, is suffering from prostate cancer which he got in prison as a result of medical negligence. According to reports, from six months ago, the prisoner showed signs of a serious medical condition and continuously went to the Gohardasht (Rajaie Shahr) Prison medical clinic complaining of severe …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities have detained an Iranian cleric who recently accused the Iranian establishment of being repressive and unjust. The detained cleric, Hossein Shirazi, is the son of the 75-year-old Ayatollah Sadegh Shirazi — a senior cleric who is said to have followers in Iran and Iraq. Both have been critical of the Iranian clerical establishment. A London-based representative …

RFL/RE – The Kremlin has confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin, Iranian President Hassan Rohani, and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will meet for talks during April.

Al-Arabia – Iran has increased its missile production three-fold, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander said Wednesday, according to the Fars news service. The commander did not explain during what time period the production increase had taken place. “In the past we had to do a lot of explaining to various bodies for our actions but it’s not like that anymore,” …

CHRI – Gonabadi Dervish Detainee Died From “Blows to the Head,” Says Daughter March 6, 2018—The recent death of a devotee of Iran’s largest Sufi order in Tehran marks the fourth known death of a detainee in state custody in Iran in two months. “It’s outrageous that detainees in Iran keep dying in state custody,” said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director …

CHRI – Alireza Golipour requires a heart procedure at a hospital but judicial authorities have refused to grant him furlough for medical leave from Evin Prison in Tehran, his lawyer told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI).   

Al-Monitor – At first glance, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s recent visit to India made news for all the right reasons. The three-day tour Feb 15-17, his first state visit to India, revolved around furthering economic engagement between the two countries. The optics were great, and the announcements following his “substantive talks” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi received praise. Close …

Al-Monitor – French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s trip to Iran has seemingly failed to produce the results likely expected by President Emmanuel Macron. Le Drian arrived in Iran on March 5 and met with President Hassan Rouhani, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani. Amid the visit, hard-line daily Kayhan slammed …

Dr Noorali Tabandeh, the head spiritual leader of the Gonabadi Sufi order in Iran with approximately 10 million followers is under house arrest. This was revealed by himself during a short video clip that he himself dates to Tuesday 6th of March 2018. In this short video recording, Mr Tabandeh sends his greeting to the Dervishes and Muslims and the people of …