rferl.org – Iran may be preparing a third attempt this year to launch a space rocket, U.S. National Public Radio reports, citing satellite imagery it received from the commercial company Planet. The published image taken on August 24 shows Iran’s launchpad has been freshly painted bright blue at the Imam Khomeini Space Center. Earlier, it had a burn scar from …

iran-hrm – Nine workers of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Factory in the southwestern city of Shush were sentenced to eight months of prison and 30 lashes each, the state-run ILNA news agency reported today. The sentences issued by the 102nd Branch of the Shush Criminal Court will be suspended until the end of the term set by the court. The …

iran-hrm – A woman was hanged at dawn on Sunday, August 25, 2019 in the Central Prison of Mashhad, the state-run ROKNA news agency reported today. The victim who has not been identified by the state media had been found guilty of murder. This is the 94th woman executed in Iran during Hassan Rouhani’s term in office since 2013. The …

voanews – BEIJING – Iran and China need to join forces to counter unilateralism and “contempt for international law,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told his Chinese counterpart at a meeting in Beijing on Monday that followed his surprise visit to the Group of Seven summit in France. Zarif did not mention the U.S. directly in opening remarks to …

alarabiya – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani came out strongly in favor of talks between Iran and the US on Monday as his top diplomat came under fire from hardline media for a surprise visit to a G7 summit. This comes after Rouhani made several comments that talks are “not suitable” and that resistance is the country’s “only choice.” “And if …

radiofarda – Officials at the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs (FMV) in the Islamic Republic confirmed on Monday, August 26, that the son of a “martyr” committed suicide by self-immolation at the Foundation’s office in the city of Qom, 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of the Iranian capital, Tehran. Soldiers killed in action, particularly during the Iran-Iraq war of …

radiofarda – Iran has dispatched a destroyer and a helicopter-carrying support ship to Gulf of Aden “to provide security for Islamic Republic vessels in international waters”, the chief of staff of Iran’s army announced. Admiral Habibollah Sayari added that the two warships, destroyer Sahand and helicopter ship Kharg, will “escort” commercial vessels in the Sea of Oman and the Gulf …

rferl.org – Iran says it has sold the oil from an Iranian-flagged supertanker at the center of a standoff between Tehran and Washington. Government spokesman Ali Rabiei told a news conference in Tehran on August 26 that the owner of the oil will decide the ship’s ultimate destination. The spokesman did not identify the buyer. Data from Refinitiv Eikon, an …

rferl.org – U.S. President Donald Trump says he would agree to meet Iranian President Hassan Rohani if “the circumstances were correct or right.” Tensions between Iran and the United States have ramped up since Washington last year withdrew from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions on the Iranian economy. Five other signatories, …

iran-hrm – Marzieh Amiri, a journalist and student activist was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months in prison and 147 lashes, her sister Samira Amiri tweeted August 24. Reporting the verdict, Samira Amir tweeted that her sister must serve a minimum of six years of her sentence (according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code) if the verdict …