Radiofarda – In the wake of new U.S. sanctions on Iran’s main petrochemical company, U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton called on the Islamic Republic to “end its 40-year reign of terror”. In a tweet Bolton said the Iranian regime has been spending its resources on supporting terror “resulting in economic problems that will only get worse”. He added that President Donald …

Radiofarda – Authorities in Iran have shut down a nonprofit high school in the city of Mahabad, northwestern Iran, for holding a mixed-gender traditional Kurdish dance party. With an estimated population of 200,000, Mahabad is a mainly Sunni Kurd city. The representative of the city of Urmia, the capital of West Azerbaijan Province, confirmed the closure of the school after …

VOA – Iran said Saturday that new US sanctions on its petrochemical industry show the hollowness of President Donald Trump’s claims to be open to fresh negotiations with Tehran. “Only one week was needed for the US president’s claim that he was ready to negotiate with Iran to be proven hollow,” foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a statement, after …

VOA – The U.S. Treasury Department has announced sanctions against Iran’s Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC) as part of a series of moves to pressure Tehran to negotiate a new agreement to restrict its nuclear and ballistic-missile programs.The sanctions announced on June 7 hit PGPIC and 39 subsidiaries and foreign-sales agents. The company accounts for 40 percent of Iran’s …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Political prisoner Kianoosh Sanjari is denied a furlough despite the forensic physicians’ recommendation. According to IHR sources, Kianoosh Sanjari, while in prison, has been sent examined medical experts and forensics to assess his health condition. Forensics have officially reported to the judiciary that he cannot tolerate the imprisonment and must be treated outside the prison. …

CHRI – Rights Activist Remains in Prison with Dangerous Post-Op Infection Husband Reports Mohammadi Is Being Denied Antibiotics June 7, 2019 – The Iranian authorities must immediately transfer prominent human rights activist Narges Mohammadi to a hospital for full and proper medical care, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said in a statement today. CHRI is deeply concerned by reports …

CHRI – A group of Haft Tappeh sugar mill workers in the city of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province, have submitted an official complaint to the International Labor Organization (ILO) about the ongoing suppression of protests there and detentions of peaceful demonstrators and journalists covering the protests. “We hereby submit a brief report and our official complaint for your consideration to condemn the …

Radiofarda – Iranian President Hassan Rohani’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, has defended Rohani’s call for more power while critics continue to voice their opposition to Rohani’s expanding authority. The Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA) quoted Vaezi on June 7 as having said that Rohani needs more power in order “to make decisions about problems quickly.” Source: Hamdeli daily “The president must …

RFL/RE – In the summer of 2010, poet Hossein Jannati was basking in the adulation of the supreme leader. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a self-professed poetry lover who also has the final say in politics and religion in Iran, was publicly reciting Jannati’s “very fine” verses and using his powerful media team to share that poetry. But less than a decade later, …

volleyball.world – Brazil defeated Iran in five sets in their first match in Tokyo in week 2 of the 2019 men’s FIVB Volleyball Nations League on Friday. Iran captain Mir Saeid Marouflakrani said: “I would like to say congratulations to the Brazil team first. These full sets were very tough and I am disappointed and not satisfied with this result …