Al-Monitor – “Iran and Pakistan will form a rapid reaction force to fight terrorism on their shared border,” President Hassan Rouhani announced at a presser in Tehran following closed-door talks with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan April 22. “We are glad the Pakistani side has branded as terrorists the militant groups that conduct inhumane activities in this area,” Rouhani added. In …

Radiofarda – The Interior Ministry of Georgia says it has denied 6,400 foreigners, half of them Iranians, entry visa in the first quarter of 2019.  Based on the ministry’s report, 3000 Iranians were denied entry visa from January to April. Georgia — Shota Rustaveli International Airport, Tbilisi In the past, regional countries welcomed Iranian tourists, who prefer cheaper holidays in …

PayvandNews – Tehran Municipality is in talks with Baghdad’s urban planners and authorities to restore a number of aging monuments in Iraq including Taq Kasra, which is an architecturally-important Sasanian-era Persian monument. Related Article: Taq Kasra, A Sasanian-Era Persian Monument, Partially Collapses Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday evening upon an official invitation from his Iraqi counterpart to …

RT.Com – Tehran’s appointment of a hardline new commander of its Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) could signal that Iran is preparing for conflict with the US, former Pentagon analyst Michael Maloof has told RT.Read moreIran’s army doesn’t threaten regional powers but stands firm against ‘invaders’ – Rouhani Brigadier General Hossein Salami, 58, will replace Mohammad Ali Jafari as the elite …

Radiofarda – Imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer and defender Nasrin Sotoudeh‘s 33-year jail sentence is final, and she must serve 12 years, the official IRNA news agency reported. Sotoudeh who was arrested in mid-2018, was sentenced in early March to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes. She was subjected to two trials that Amnesty International has called “grossly unfair”. …

Radiofarda – U.S. officials have strongly responded to IRGC Naval Force Commander’s threat about closing the strait of Hormuz if Iran cannot ship its oil through the strategic waterway. A senior U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told reporters in Washington on Monday April 22 that any move by Iran to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in …

Radiofarda – A day after the United States ended its waivers to importers of Iranian oil, India said it has secured enough supplies from other exporters and Japan said it will not face significant problems. The U.S. on Monday told eight friendly countries who had received six-month exemptions to import limited quantity of oil from Iran to look elsewhere or …

Radiofarda – The United States on Monday offered a $10 million reward for information that would disrupt the finances of Lebanon’s Shiite militant movement Hezbollah. The State Department said it would give the money to anyone who provides intelligence that allows the United States to disrupt Hezbollah in key ways. The areas include information on Hezbollah’s donors, on financial institutions …

Radiofarda – Days after Israel’s air strikes on the Masyaf (Misyaf) missile plant in Hama Province, Syria, Israeli media have reported that a highly advanced “new missile” was deployed during the attacks. According to the reports, the missiles are supersonic and “so advanced” that they can evade Russian-made long-range surface-to-air missile systems. The air strikes were purportedly part of a …

Radiofarda – Who is the new chief commander of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) and why did Iran’s Supreme Leader decide to appoint a new leader now? Why did he choose Hossein Salami instead of another senior officer? These are questions that three prominent Iranian analysts have answered on Radio Farda’s Persian website. Hossein Salami, they say is a …