Radiofarda – Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani, who visited Baku to participate in a meeting of “non-aligned” counties has said that Iran, Iraq and Azerbaijan as three “Shiite countries” are moving toward a “strategic relationship”. Speaking before his departure for Baku at Tehran’s Mehrabad airport, Rouhani mentioned the multilateral agreement on the Caspian Sea, oil and gas production as well as …

Radiofarda – A mysterious flight from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport to the Saudi Arabian capital Riyadh has triggered a series of speculations in Israeli media. Earlier, several Israeli news outlets had claimed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or the head of Mossad had a secret meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Muhammed bin Salman. According to the Israeli dailies, …

Radiofarda – Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Ahmad al-Jubeir has said in an interview with French newspaper Liberation on Thursday October 24 that “Those in the Iranian administration who talk about negotiations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have no power.” “Members of the Iranian administration talk about negotiations but they do not have any power. On the other hand, …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s today is stronger than its “enemies,” who have power but are unable to use it, claimed the commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami on Friday, according to the semi-official Mehr news agency. “Being powerful is not just about having power, but also to be able to exercise your power,” said Salami, addressing a …

VOA – Iraqi police fired live rounds into the air and dozens of tear gas canisters Friday to disperse thousands of protesters on the streets of Baghdad, sending young demonstrators running for cover and covering the capital’s bridge with thick white smoke. More than 30 people were taken to hospitals with breathing difficulties, security officials said. The confrontations began early …

Amnesty – Responding to the Iranian authorities’ announcement yesterday that they had amputated the hand of a man imprisoned for theft in a prison in Sari in the northern province of Mazandaran, Amnesty International’s Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director, Saleh Higazi said:By carrying out this unspeakably cruel punishment, the Iranian authorities have committed torture which is a crime …

CHRI – Following additional restrictions imposed on political prisoners in Tehran’s Evin Prison by its newly appointed Director Gholamreza Ziaei, Maryam Akbari-Monfared’s visits with her family members have been canceled, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. Akbari-Monfared’s husband Hassan Jafari told CHRI on October 20, 2019, that the denial of her visitation rights was particularly painful since they had fought …

PayvandNews – Iran’s eight-member Sanda team claimed eight gold medals and won the title of the 15th World Wushu Championships (WWC) in Shanghai, China. In the men’s 65kg, Erfan Ahangarian defeated Russian Magomed Abdulkhalikov in the final bout. Bronze medals went to Clemente Tabugara from the Philippines and Uzbekistan’s Akmal Rakhimov.Yousef Sabri defeated Moroccan Saad Boujekka in the men’s 75kg …

PayvandNews – Veteran Iranian director Kianush Ayyari finally received the approval of cultural authorities to screen his movie “The Paternal House”, which was banned in the country for about ten years due to some allegedly violent scenes. The film is about a young woman who is killed by her own father, with the aid of her younger brother nearly a …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Statistical Center says the inflation rate in the 12-month period ending on October 22 was 42 percent compared to the previous 12 months, with inflation higher in rural areas. However, price increases differ substantially among various goods and services. While food prices have risen by 61 percent and tobacco by 80 percent, non-food items and services have …