CHRI – Both Women Being Held for Unknown Reasons at Evin Prison A second senior member of the charity group Voice of Iranian Women (VIW), which has been involved in aid and rescue operations during the recent devastating floods in southwestern Iran, has been arrested for unknown reasons. Nahid Shaghaghi, who has also worked to combat violence against women, was …

Al-Monitor – President Hassan Rouhani announced earlier this month that Iran would suspend implementation of some of its commitments under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), one year after the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal. Rouhani also signaled that unless the remaining JCPOA signatories stepped up to fulfill the promised economic dividends of the accord, then there would …

Al-Monitor – As the showdown between Washington and Tehran escalates elsewhere in the Gulf, Iran is giving high priority to an effort to secure, control and reopen the al-Bukamal border crossing at Qaim, the only Syrian-Iraqi border crossing under Iranian control, to solidify its influence in the Levant and mitigate the impact of US sanctions. It remains to be seen, however, whether …

PayvandNews – It didn’t require a crystal ball to predict that some false-flag incident might escalate tensions in the current display of hostilities between Iran and the United States or its regional allies. That was why in the final paragraph in my previous article I cautioned Iran to “…create closer dialog with the Arab counterparts to watch out for deliberate accidents that might …

PayvandNews – The current crisis atmosphere in U.S.-Iranian relations, in which the risk of open warfare appears greater than it has been in years, is solely and unequivocally due to the policies and actions of the Trump administration. To point this out does not mean that actions of the Iranian regime have not come to be part of the crisis …

Radiofarda – The commander of Iran’s extraterritorial military operations recently met with different Iraqi Shiite militias, telling them to “prepare for proxy war”, according to a report by The Guardian. Qassem Soleimani, Qods force met with all leaders of militias controlled by Iran three weeks ago, two senior unnamed intelligence officials are quoted as saying, and this heightened concern among U.S. …

Radiofarda – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says there is “no possibility” of talks with the United States to reduce spiraling tensions.Zarif’s remarks on May 16 came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was confident that Tehran will “soon” seek to negotiate with Washington.Trump’s remarks follow comments he made on May 9 when he said he …

AFP – A U.S. official said Thursday that Iranian missiles loaded on small boats in the Persian Gulf were among the “threats” that have triggered a beefed-up military deployment in the region. “The missiles on civilian boats are a concern,” said the official, who asked not to be named. The person was confirming reports in The New York Times saying …

Iran-HRM – Despite having the funds, Tehran denies relief to flood victims Massive flood damage  Since mid-March, flash floods have hit 25 of Iran’s 31 provinces, forcing mass evacuations, ravaging infrastructures, and inflicting heavy losses on the agricultural sector. Citing the European Commission, the United Nations estimated that at least 12 million citizens across Iran have been affected by the …

RFL/RE – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has urged China, Russia, and other “partners” to take “concrete action” to safeguard a nuclear deal that the United States exited a year ago. Zarif made the call on May 17 upon arriving in Beijing where he held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi.Along with the United States, Britain, France, Germany, …