Radiofarda – An “informed military source” in Iran has said missile tests are “normal measures to fulfill the country’s defense needs,” local news outlets report. In comments on Saturday, July 27, the source at the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces referred to Iran’s missile tests within the limits of defense needs as ordinary measures that are carried out …

RFL/RE – The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, Ali Akbar Salehi, told lawmakers on Sunday that Iran will restart activities at the Arak heavy water nuclear reactor, the ISNA news agency reported.ISNA cited a member of parliament who attended the meeting. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads. During Sunday’s …

RFL/RE – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has met with Yusuf bin Alawi, his counterpart from Oman — a neutral country that in the past has acted as a facilitator of talks between Tehran and Washington.The July 27 visit of the Omani official comes as tensions continue to rise between Tehran and the United States and its allies around …

RFL/RE – Two Iranian grain vessels that have been stranded for weeks off the Brazilian coast are being allowed to sail away, officials said on July 27 following a court order.The vessels were stranded in early June after Petroleo Brasileiro, Brazil’s state oil company, refused to sell them bunker fuel for fear that it would violate U.S. sanctions against Iran.A …

VOA – “Hostile” and “provocative” is how Iran labeled a proposal to form a European coalition to escort tankers through the Persian Gulf. “We heard that they intend to send a European fleet to the Persian Gulf, which naturally carries a hostile message, is provocative and will increase tensions,” government spokesman Ali Rabiel said Sunday, according to state media. Tensions …

VOA – The remaining signatories to the Iran nuclear deal will meet in Vienna on Sunday to try again to find a way of saving the accord after the U.S. pulled out, amid mounting tensions between Tehran and Washington. On Sunday, in Geneva, Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, told lawmakers that Iran will restart activities at …

Radiozamaneh – Hundreds of Iranian citizens are sleeping in their cars, for them, their cars have become their residence, their office and their bedroom. It is a new trend in Tehran; young job seekers are coming to Tehran from small cities and villages but they cannot afford to rent a room. “We see young men who are buying a car …

gatestoneinstitute.org – A tougher profile, attacks on tankers and other soft targets, gesticulations by Hezbollah and Hamas, and more hostages are one aspect of the scheme that Tehran is currently working on. The other is a desperate attempt at appearing ready to enter into “constructive talks”. That yarn is marketed by Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is still retained to play …

Iran Human Rights (IHR)- During the past few months, several prisoners of conscience have gone on hunger strike due to deteriorating prison conditions. But their desperate cry for help has come in the shadow of the escalating tension in the Persian Gulf. The Iranian authorities ignore the prisoners’ just demands and the international community remain silent. in Iran. Iran Human …

CHRI – Acclaimed director Mohammad Rasoulof was sentenced to one year in prison in Tehran in July 2019. He has been banned from making films or leaving Iran since 2017. International film festivals including the Cannes Film Festival, as well as two prominent Iranian directors, have condemned the prison sentence issued in Tehran against acclaimed filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof. “Today, we wish to …