Radiofarda – The only way forward for Iran is a unified push by all political movements for a direct, democratic referendum on changing the Islamic Republic’s ruling system, former revolutionary Abolfazl Qadyani said from his prison cell. File photo: Abolfazl Ghadyani, political activist. 73-year-old Qadyani (also spelled as Ghadyani) is a co-founder of the political group Mojahedin of the Islamic …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei advised the government last July not to rely on European efforts to protect Tehran against US sanctions, months after Washington withdrew from a nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed penalties. The release of Khamenei’s speech nine months after his meeting with the cabinet, showed while President Hassan Rouhani was trying to save …

Al-Arabia – Five people aboard a rescue helicopter were killed when it crashed into a utility pole in western Iran on Monday, state media reported. The incident came amid growing concern about the safety of Iran’s ageing aircraft fleet as the result of decades of US trade and financial sanctions. The helicopter went down in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province on …

Iran-HRM -Ebrahim Raisi who was involved in extra-judicial killings of political prisoners in the late 1980s in Iran will be Iran’s next Judiciary Chief, replacing Sadeq Amoli Larijani. The spokesperson for Iran’s Judiciary has confirmed that Raisi who is considered a person who is trusted by the country’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is appointed as the head of the Judiciary. Gholamhossein Mohseni …

Iran-HRM – An investigation into a dossier of crimes committed by the Iranian dictators has been called for, as a result of a statement issued by Amnesty International and published by the United Nations General Assembly. According to the statement, “Between late July and September 1988, the Iranian authorities forcibly disappeared and extrajudicially executed thousands of prisoners for their political …

Amnesty – Prominent detained Iranian human rights lawyer, Nasrin Sotoudeh, faces up to 34 years in prison and 148 lashes, after two grossly unfair trials. The charges against her stem solely from her peaceful human rights work, including her defence of women protesting Iran’s abusive forced hijab (veiling) laws, and her outspoken opposition to the death penalty. View report in …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – The 11th Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, by Iran Human Rights (IHR), is being published 18 months into the second term of Hassan Rouhani’s presidential period. According to reports by IHR at least 3500 people have been executed during the 5.5 years of the presidency of Hassan Rouhani. DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT …

PayvandNews – Two Persian leopard cubs have been found dead in Choram county located in the southwestern province of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad, the provincial department of environment (DOE) chief has said. “A group of locals reported the department of environment that two carcasses of leopards with their hands cut off have been spotted,” Mehr quoted Mohsen Jafari Bastami as saying …

PayvandNews – After Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced his resignation via Instagram shortly before midnight local time on February 25, many foreign pundits and officials celebrated his departure. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response was “Zarif is gone. Good riddance.” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo used even more insulting and undiplomatic language, and dismissed both Zarif and President Rouhani as “front …

Radiofarda -The Central bank of Iran (CBI) announced on Saturday March 2 That five banks and financial institutions affiliated with the Iranian armed forces will be merged into Bank Sepah.