Iran Human Rights (IHR – A part of the 11th Annual Report on the Death Penalty in Iran, by IHR, deals with the execution of Women, Juveniles and foreign citizens in the country. READ THE FULL REPORT HERE (pdf)  Juvenile executions: Trends and legislative reforms In February 2018, noting a surge in the number of juvenile offenders being executed in …

CHRI – At least 19 people have died in Shiraz, the capital of Iran’s Fars Province, as a result of flash flooding from a sudden, heavy downpour of rain. State media reports indicate at least 100 others have been injured and thousands of homes have been damaged there. The provinces  of Golestan and Mazandaran in the north have also been …

Al-Monitor – Is Ezzatollah Zarghami the next populist to rise from Iran’s hard-line camp? The recent activities of the former head of the conservative-dominated state broadcaster, who has been in constant verbal clashes with moderate President Hassan Rouhani, certainly raises this question. Born into a religious family in 1959, Zarghami’s father never bought a television. He, however, ended up being …

Al-Monitor – A trail of death and destruction left behind by heavy downpours in Iran’s north and south has cast a dark shadow over Nowruz this year. The Iranian New Year — which began March 21 — characterized by celebrations, family visits and holiday trips has so far been but a mess for many who had planned it months ahead. The government …

Radiofarda – Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it has removed more accounts from Iran, Russia, Macedonia and Kosovo, citing what it described as “coordinated inauthentic behavior.” A total of 2,632 pages, groups, and accounts were removed from Facebook and Instagram for operations linked to the above mentioned countries, the social media platform said. 513 of those accounts were tied to …

Radiofarda – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has called on the regular army and the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) March 26 to help clear flood waters from cities, inundated by days of heavy rains. He asked the armed forces to deploy their engineering know-how and resources and help other agencies in getting rid of exisiting flood waters in cities. While …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Vice President Es’haq Jahangiri has announced that heavy rains are expected in the capital and “tonight we must protect Tehran with all our existence”. At a meeting of Emergency Management Staff in the evening of March 25, Jahangiri said that weather forecast services have predicted strong rain in Tehran and he added it is better to prepare …

Radiofarda – The U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo has once again sent a message greeting the new Iranian Year (beginning March 21) to all the people who celebrate Nowruz (literally the New Day) across the world. In the message published by the State Department’s official website, Pompeo says, “I would like to wish a Happy Nowruz to the people …

Radiofarda – U.S. President Donald Trump has recognized Israel’s sovereignty over the disputed Golan Heights — the rocky plateau that Israeli forces seized from Syria in the closing stages of the 1967 Six-Day War. Syria also tried to retake the Golan Heights from Israeli forces during the 1973 Middle East war, but the surprise assault was repelled. Signing a formal …

Radiofarda – In his first new year speech on March 21, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described U.S. leaders as “top idiots”, called Western diplomats “savages,” labelled Europeans as “traitors” and “back-stabbers”. He also denounced Saudi Arabia as “the worst state” in the world. He also called on the Iranian people to bear the cost of sanctions, adding that …