CHRI – Four women arrested on May 1, 2019, after attending a Labor Day rally in Tehran should be allowed unrestricted access to counsel and released, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). The women—journalist Marzieh Amiri and activists Neda Naji, Atefeh Rangriz, Anisha Asadollahi—were all charged with national security crimes after peacefully attending the protest and then denied bail. Marzieh Amiri Journalist Marzieh Amiri, …

Bloomberg – Tankers are offloading millions of barrels of Iranian oil into storage tanks at Chinese ports, creating a hoard of crude sitting on the doorstep of the world’s biggest buyer. Two and a half months after the White House banned the purchase of Iran’s oil, the nation’s crude is continuing to be sent to China where it’s being put into …

Radiofarda – Six young men and three young women beat up a cleric in Meshkin Dasht, a small town near Tehran on Thursday, Iranian media revealed on Sunday July 21. The cleric beaten up by young people recovering at his home after being released from hospital. Fars news agency reported that the youngsters attacked the cleric who wanted to lecture …

Radiofarda – Chairman of the Iranian Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi says the construction of the second phase of Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant will start next month in collaboration with Russia. Salam Amini, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s Energy Committee quoted Salehi as having said on Sunday July 21 that “concrete foundations for this part of the nuclear …

Radiofarda – Governments in both Iran and the United Kingdom appear to be scrambling with developments in the Persian Gulf region following the detention of a British-flagged oil tanker by Iran’s revolutionary guards on Friday. In Iran, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, visited IRGC’s Khatam ol-Anbia Headquarters to examine the combat readiness of the Islamic …

Al-Arabia – Oman’s minister responsible for foreign affairs, Yousuf bin Alawi bin Abdullah, will visit Iran on Saturday to discuss regional developments, Oman’s state news agency said on Monday. It did not give further details. The sultanate on Sunday urged Tehran to release the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero, which Iran seized on Friday, and called on all parties to exercise …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s state TV says a delegation from the Palestinian group Hamas that is visiting Iran has met with the country’s supreme leader. The TV report on Monday says Ali Khamenei held talks with Hamas’ deputy chief, Saleh al-Arouri, who is heading the delegation. The Hamas delegation also met with Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Khamenei. The Iranian official …

RFL/RE – Iranian authorities say they have arrested 17 suspects and sentenced some of them to death after breaking up a CIA spy ring.Iran’s Intelligence Ministry said on July 22 that Iranian security agencies “successfully dismantled” what it described as a CIA “spy network” on July 18.“Some were sentenced to death and some to long-term imprisonment,” said one ministry official, …

RFL/RE – Saudi Arabia released an Iranian oil tanker on July 21 from the Jeddah port after the vessel underwent repairs, Iranian Transport Minister Mohammad Eslami told state news agency IRNA.The ship had been docked in Saudi Arabia since early May after suffering “engine failure and loss of control,” the Iranian Oil Ministry’s SHANA news agency reported as cited by …

VOA – British Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting Monday with security ministers and security officials for emergency talks about how to handle the Iranian seizure of a British-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz. Among the potential responses Britain is considering is the prospect of imposing economic sanctions on Iran. May’s government is expected to update members of …