Al-Monitor – Just one week after American officials reportedly met with a Taliban delegation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Adm. Ali Shamkhani confirmed for the first time that Iran has also held talks with the Taliban. Shamkhani made the comments during a Dec. 26 visit to Kabul to meet with Afghan officials, …

Al-Monitor – President Donald Trump’s surprise decision Dec. 19 to pull US forces out of Syria has sparked different reactions, both inside and outside the United States. US allies France and Britain expressed their dissatisfaction over the move, emphasizing that the Western mission in Syria is still far from accomplished. Russia and Turkey, as two pillars of the Astana framework, welcomed the decision, seeing it as a positive step toward resolving the …

NYT— Less than a year ago, he was running a thriving computer accessories business, driving a new car and renting a comfortable two-bedroom apartment in the center of Tehran. But last month, Kaveh Taymouri found himself riding a rusty motorcycle on his hourlong commute to his family’s new lodgings, a 485-square-foot apartment in one of the city’s worst neighborhoods, next …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Free Labor Union (FLU) reported on Thursday that security forces attacked a protest gathering of teachers, held outside the ministry of education offices in Isfahan.

Radiofarda – Not many details about Iran’s budget bill for the next year, presented to the parliament on December 25, have been publicly released.

Radiofarda – Tehran’s city councilor in charge of safety affairs has blamed privatization and politicizing matters for a university bus crash that killed ten, including the driver, leaving 25 other students injured.

Radiofarda – Iran’s Deputy Minister of Science, Research and Technology for educational affairs says 20,000 Ph.D. holders in Iran are unemployed and jobless.

Radiofarda – Iran’s deputy defense minister says the Islamic Republic is prepared for “deepening and expanding defensive and military” cooperation with Russia in all domains.

Radiofarda – As Iran’s oil exports have halved due to U.S. sanctions, the government has set 1,425 trillion rials income from oil, petroleum products and natural gas exports in the next year budget bill, which indicates a 32% growth year-on-year. Iran’s fiscal year starts on March 21.

Al-Arabia – An Iranian deputy said 1,800 religious scholars held oil ministry posts without having a specific job title or making the nature of their role known.