VOA — Britain has started sending a warship to accompany all British-flagged vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, a change in policy announced Thursday after the government previously said it did not have resources to do so. Tensions have spiked between Iran and Britain since last Friday when Iranian commandos seized a British-flagged tanker in the world’s most important waterway for oil …

Al-Monitor – Can Iran mold its internet-surfing young people into a “revolutionary youth” driven to steer the country toward an idealized Islamic civilization? It’s hard to say, but Islamic authorities are certainly doing their best to curb un-Islamic influences in actual and virtual reality, stepping up their efforts in May.  In early June, Iranian media reported that authorities had closed hundreds of restaurantsfor failing to observe …

hyperallergic – Artist Mohammad Hassan Forouzanfar plants skyscrapers in the country’s ancient cities and villages in a surreal and spectacular new project. Hakim BisharaJuly 24, 2019 Safi-o-Din shrine in northwestern Iran reimagined (all images courtesy of Mohammad Hassan Forouzanfar) From the royal palaces of Persepolis to the glorious mosques of Isfahan, Iran’s ancient architecture has given the world some of its …

Radiofarda – President Hassan Rouhani’s chief of staff has welcomed the publication by critics of a list of alleged dual nationals in the Iranian president’s administration, dismissing it as lacking evidence. Earlier, the government had officially denied there were any high-level officials with foreign citizenship or permanent residency. “We are delighted that they have published the list,” Mahmoud Vaezi said, …

Radiofarda – The U.S. military intends to protect American commercial ships against Iranian threats in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz but will not provide naval escorts in every case, the newly installed defense secretary said Wednesday. The aim of the U.S. naval and air presence in the Gulf area is to deter Iran from threatening to stop or …

Radiofarda – The murderer of a political prisoner has been sentenced to Qisas (an eye for an eye or retribution in-kind, according to Sharia law), the spokesman of the Islamic Republic’s Judiciary announced. A court in Iran has sentenced the killer of a political prisoner to Qisas, or retribution in kind. In this undated photo Hamidreza Shoja’ii Zavareh is seen …

Radiofarda – Hossein Dehghan, a military adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Al Jazeera TV on Wednesday July 24 that “Any change in the situation in the Persian Gulf will lead to a dangerous confrontation.” The warning was broadcast as part of an interview to be aired later. Dehghan repeated Iranian official stance on negotiations with the …

Al-Arabia – Brazil is the latest country which is at the receiving end of Tehran’s anger – an indicator of the pressure on the Iranian regime following the US sanctions.Two Iranian ships, carrying Brazilian corn, have been unable to return home and been waiting off the Brazilian coast near the port of Paranagua for the past one month for refueling.Petrobas, …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani has hinted that Tehran is open to a possible tanker swap with Britain and indirect talks with the United States over its nuclear program and sanctions.“We don’t want tensions with some European countries,” Rohani said in comments posted on the official government website on July 24.Rohani said if Britain were to “cease the incorrect …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A man was hanged at Kashan prison for murder charges last weekend. According to IMNA News, on the morning of Sunday, July 21, a man was executed at the Iranian city of Kashan’s prison.  Kashan’s Deputy Attorney General, Rouhollah Dehghani, said, “the defendants confessed he had a relationship with the victim’s wife. He and the victim’s …