rferl.org – Iran’s oil minister says the French oil-and-natural-gas company Total has “officially left” Iran amid threats by the United States to impose sanctions against companies that do business in the country.

There have been 35 instances of marriages of girls between the ages of 10 to 13 in Markazi Province in central Iran.

iran-hrm – Iran hanged six men convicted of stealing 10kg of gold jewelry using cold weapons, the state media reported. The victims were convicted of stealing 10kg of gold in 2015 from a car carrying gold jewelry in Mashhad’s airport Blvd.

iran-hrm – A number of Baha’is were arrested on Friday, August 17, for their religious beliefs in Shiraz, southern Iran. They include Pezhman Shahriari, Dorna Esmaeili, Kourosh Rohani, Negar Misaghian and her husband Mahboub

iran-hrm – Mohammad Sharifi Moghaddam, Gonabadi Dervish and one of the collaborators of Majzooban Noor, a website affiliated with Gonabadi Dervish minority, has been sentenced to a twelve-year prison sentence,

iran-hrm – The use of terms such as “line of poverty” and “absolute poverty” have become commonplace in Iran. And state-run media always provide the most optimistic estimates.

alarabiya – The United States is facing a new turning point in its policy toward Syria, as it announced the appointment of former US ambassador to Iraq James Jeffrey will serve as a special advisor to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Syria overseeing talks on a political transition in that country.

radiofarda – Iran’s defense minister says the country will continue to focus efforts on developing missile capabilities and will next week unveil a new fighter jet amid U.S. efforts to curb Tehran’s weapons programs and regional influence.

radiofarda – Corruption in Iran has spread and extended to “a number of top state officials”, the Islamic Republic’s Vice President has declared.

rferl.org – The Kremlin says German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a “”very serious and detailed” three-hour discussion during their meeting outside of Berlin, including an exchange of views on Ukraine, Syria, Iran, and a crucial pipeline project.