CHRI —The three women’s rights activists arrested by Iran’s security forces since September 1—the lawyer Hoda Amid, the sociologist Najmeh Vahedi, and the gender studies student Rezvaneh Mohammadi—should be released immediately, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement today.

Al-Monitor – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif paid an official visit to Damascus Sept. 3 to meet with high-ranking Syrian officials and discuss the latest developments in the country. Iran’s role in the process of post-war reconstruction in Syria was a top priority among the issues discussed. At a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis, Zarif touched upon …

Al-Monitor – The government of President Hassan Rouhani has approved a bill on the right to further education and tabled it to the Iranian parliament. According to the Reformist daily Etemad, if ratified, the bill could decide the fate of so-called “starred students.” The term refers to university students barred from pursuing degrees for allegedly engaging in political activities deemed illegal and …

PayvandNews – Iraq indicated that it has officially removed the US dollar in trade with Iran by announcing a legal limit for passengers to carry along Euros – instead of the customary US Dollars – into the Islamic Republic.

lobelog.com – The latest protests in Iraq have taken a distinctly anti-Iran character, as shown by the attack on Iran’s consulate in Basra. According to reports in Iranian and some Iraqi news outlets, the Iraqi security authorities were lax in preventing the attack.

Radiofarda – Iran’s first vice-president Es’haq Jahangiri has admitted on Tuesday, September 11 that U.S. sanctions against Iran have been “highly effective.”

Radiofarda – The ambitious housing project championed by former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become a “headache” for the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet.

Radiofarda – Police in Helsinki, Finland, has arrested four demonstrators during a protest gathering in front of the Iranian embassy Monday afternoon September 10.

Radiofarda – The United States has issued a fresh warning to airlines to exercise caution when operating in Iran’s airspace, citing concerns over military activity including an unnamed U.S. civil operator being intercepted by fighter jets in December 2017.

Al-Arabia – For a short while Iran’s cyber security threats and its use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Google and Twitter came under the spotlight. This is good, but more is needed.