lobelog – As the United States speeds up the militarization of tensions with Iran, the role of neighbouring countries in either exacerbating or mitigating them is going to be crucial. Some of Iran´s neighbours, such as Saudi Arabia, Israel, and, until recently, the United Arab Emirates, appear to be pushing the United States toward war with Iran. Others, such as Iraq, Oman, and Qatar, pursue a policy …

Shabtabnews – Yesterday, the second annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom conference saw many emotional moments as victims of religious persecution shared their testimonies. The room was filled with people representing nations and religions worldwide.   Sam Brownback, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom (Left) The conference began with a speech from Sam Brownback, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom …

Radiofarda – The Guardian Council in Iran has once again elected hardliner Ahmad Jannati, 93, as the body’s secretary on Wednesday July 17. He has been holding the post since 1992. The Guardian council is Iran’s highest supervisory body that makes sure legislations by the Parliament (Majles) is compatible with the Islamic law (Shariah), and examines the qualifications of candidates …

Radiofarda – The Tehran Stock Exchange (TSE) closed in red on Tuesday, July 16, as investors were set back by the recovery of the national currency rial in the open forex market. The massive selloff pushed the TSE main index TEDPIX 2.78% lower for the day. Meanwhile, rial traded at a rate not seen in months against the dollar at …

Radiofarda – The Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) says that 150 Iranians involved in exporting goods have not returned billions of dollars of their revenues to the country. “Sadly, there is no accurate record available concerning them,” Abolnasser Hemmati complained on Tuesday, July 16. Without any elaboration, Hemmati insisted that, in a formal letter, the CBI has …

Al-Arabia – Iran says remarks by the country’s foreign minister about Iran’s missile program possibly being up for negotiations with the US meant to challenge Washington’s arms sales policy to the region – and were not meant to indicate a readiness by Tehran for any such talks. The Foreign Ministry’s spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, tweeted late on Tuesday that Mohammad Javad Zari’s comments …

Al-Arabia – Viewers have accused the BBC of undermining its credibility after a Huffington Post report exposed a deal between the BBC and Tehran in which the BBC agreed not to share reports from inside Iran on its BBC Persian network. In exchange, the BBC was granted access for a foreign correspondent to enter Tehran, but the conditions of the …

RFL/RE – Iran says it has helped a foreign oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz amid U.S. concern that Tehran seized the vessel. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Musavi said on July 17 that the country towed an unnamed vessel to harbor after it suffered a technical malfunction. But the United States said that the vessel had not been …

VOA – President Donald Trump has responded to Iran’s top diplomat raising the idea of talks about its missile program by saying Iran cannot test ballistic missiles that are seen by the U.S. as vehicles to carry nuclear bombs. Speaking to reporters Tuesday at a White House Cabinet meeting, Trump said that in addition to his belief that Iran must …

VOA – Portugal has suspended the issuance of entry visas for Iranian nationals for unspecified security reasons, Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said on Tuesday, adding the move was not related to bilateral relations between the two countries. Answering a question from a lawmaker at parliamentary committee on whether such a move had been taken, Santos Silva said during the …