CHRI – Ten striking workers at Iran’s Heavy Equipment Production Company (HEPCO) in the city of Arak, south of Tehran, were charged with “disturbing public order” for participating in protests billed as “illegal gatherings” after they appeared in court on May 28, 2018. 

Al-Monitor — Iran’s numerous tourist attractions, many of which stem from its rich history and civilization going back thousands of years, have the potential to transform into revenue streams far more sustainable than the country’s vast oil and natural gas reserves. But this potential has remained largely untapped due to unyielding restrictions that deprive visitors of a number of basic …

Al-Monitor – On May 30, in an internal election over the speakership of Iran’s parliament, moderate Ali Larijani defeated the leader of the main Reformist parliamentary faction, becoming the speaker for the 11th time in a row — a record in the history of Islamic Republic.

Iran-HRM – On the seventh day of a nationwide Iran trucker’s strike, the Head of the Judiciary, Sadegh Larijani threatened and said that those who intend to exploit certain spaces and thereby endanger the security of the country and the people, should know that the system will not just be watching and will deal with them very hard.

Radiofarda – The U.S. Treasury has imposed sanctions on six Iranians and three Iran-based entities, including the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, for human rights abuses and other ill-treatment of Iranian citizens.

Radiofarda  – Criticizing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is widely seen as among Iran’s so-called red lines. Dozens of intellectuals, activists, and politicians have been sidelined, harassed, or jailed for challenging the man who holds the final political and religious say in the Islamic republic.

Radiofarda – People practicing faiths other than Shia Islam continued to face discrimination and harassment in Iran in 2017, says the U.S. State Department’s International Religious Freedom Report released May 29.

Radiofarda – The 2015 murder of an Iranian-born man living in the Netherlands under an assumed identity and thought to be responsible for a deadly 1981 terrorist attack in Tehran is raising questions about the Islamic Republic’s ability to carry out political assassinations in Europe.

Radiofarda – Iran’s crude oil exports have declined slightly in May, according to estimates from a leading tanker-tracking company, in the first sign that the threat of U.S. sanctions may be deterring buyers.

Iran-HRM – Iranian MPs re-elected conservative politician Ali Larijani as the Parliament’s speaker May 30. Larijani, who was nominated to be speaker by parliament’s “independent” faction, had to compete against reform camp candidate Mohammad Reza Aref and the hardliners’ nominee for the post, Hamid Reza Hajibabai. Larijani won 147 of the 279 votes cast by the body’s 290 members. Nine …