Radiofarda – Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday Turkey is looking into establishing new trade mechanisms with Iran, like the INSTEX system set up by European countries to avoid U.S. sanctions reimposed last year on exports of Iranian oil. Those sanctions followed President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw unilaterally from a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and six world …

Radiofarda – Government controlled Syrian newspaper Al-Watan has disclosed in an April 17 article that the serious shortage of fuel Syria is facing is the outcome of Iran halting a credit line to Syria since October 15, 2018 under pressure from U.S. sanctions. Al-Watan also added in this “unprecedented disclosure” that no oil tanker has reached Syrian ports during the past six …

Radiofarda – The White House will have to weigh costs and benefits carefully before tightening sanctions on Iran and Venezuela further – and decide whether the economic price is worth the diplomatic gains. If the White House toughens sanctions on Iran and Venezuela significantly (and the next decision on Iran sanctions is scheduled for the first week of May) any …

Al-Arabia – The Saudi Red Crescent Authority, in coordination with the Emirates Red Crescent sent a relief plane to Tehran carrying 95 tons of humanitarian aid to support those affected by the floods in Iran. Last Friday, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced a joint initiative to help alleviate the suffering of Iranian citizens affected by the recent floods. On Wednesday, …

VOA – An Iranian court has held an appeal hearing for a jailed Iranian journalist and rights activist who faces a 12-year prison sentence for her social media criticisms of Iran’s judiciary. A report by Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency quoted a lawyer for journalist Hengameh Shahidi as saying he and his client appeared in court for the Tuesday hearing. Mostafa Tork …

Amnesty – Iranian authorities must stop harassing, arresting and imprisoning women’s rights defenders peacefully protesting against Iran’s degrading and discriminatory forced veiling laws, and release those detained on this basis immediately and unconditionally, said Amnesty International today. The organization has confirmed that two women’s rights defenders, Yasmin Aryani and Monireh Arabshahi, have been detained in the past week and that …

CHRI – Editor’s Note: On April 17, someone identified by an Iranian state media outlet as an “informed source” denied reports that all charges against Taheri have been dropped, adding that only his furlough (temporary leave from prison) had been extended.  An appeals court in Iran ordered the official release of Shiite mystic Mohammad Ali Taheri from Tehran’s Evin Prison on April 17, 2019, …

Al-Monitor – “Sorry, this page isn’t available.” That’s the message that now greets Instagram users trying to access accounts purportedly run by top figures of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Last week, President Donald Trump designated the IRGC a “foreign terrorist organization,” and a day after the measure took effect, Instagram banned the accounts. “We work with appropriate government authorities to ensure we meet our legal …

PayvandNews – Iran will host The World Health Summit (WHS), one of the world’s most prominent forums for addressing global health issues, announced the Iranian deputy health minister for research and technology. The World Health Summit Regional Meeting 2019 is organized by Tehran University of Medical Sciences and will be held in Persian Gulf’s Kish Island on April 29-30, IRIB …

BBC – An Iranian who became the first woman from her country to contest an official boxing match says she has cancelled her return home from France after hearing a warrant had been issued for her arrest. Sadaf Khadem beat the French boxer Anne Chauvin in an amateur bout on Saturday. She had planned to fly to Tehran with her …