theguardian.com – Demonstrations from Baghdad to Beirut reveal the extent to which Shia dominance across the region has weakened  A funeral ceremony in Tehran last week for two security officers killed during protests against fuel price hikes. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu Turmoil in Baghdad, paralysis in Beirut and flames of unrest in Tehran; it has been a bad few months for Iran at …

Radiofarda – Reports by local media in Iran say former Roads and Urban Development Minister son has been arrested on corruption charges by the Intelligence Ministry. Earlier, hardliner media had said he was arrested by the country’s judiciary. Shahram Ejtehadi, an adviser to the former Minister Abbas Akhundi, has also been arrested on the same charges, Fars News Agency close …

Radiofarda – The Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani has made a statement Monday that “a planned attack” on the country’s oil installations in Asaluyeh on the Persian Gulf was thwarted. The statement referred to by Tasnim news agency close to IRGC is vague, not mentioning when the attack was supposed to take place or who was …

Radiofarda – An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Saturday told the female members of the Basij paramilitary force that families of the Guards and Basij should have “at least five children”. Commander Ali Fadavi’s guidance reflects the deep concerns of Iran’s religious and hardline establishment about the perceived decline in the country’s young population and hence “Shiite soldiers” to fight …

Radiofarda – A member of Iran’s parliament criticizing the state-controlled National Television has said, “This TV is not a media outlet, it is not national and does not belong to the people and does not reflect their views”. Parvaneh Salhashouri in an interview with ILNA, a state-controlled news website has also said, “I personally do not know where [state TV] …

Radiofarda – Violence by Iranian security forces against protestors in over 100 Iranian cities during the past week have given rise to many political discussions among the people and in the media. The main question is where are widespread protests and social upheavals headed? Can these upheavals pave the way for a serious change in Iran? Or, do they pose …

Al-Arabia – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday accused Iran of planning attacks against Israel and said everything possible would be done to prevent them. The premier, who was indicted on corruption charges on Thursday and is seen to be battling for his political life, made his remarks on a visit to an army base near the border with …

Al-Arabia – A pro-government rally in Tehran on Monday will show the world who “real” Iranians are, Iran’s Foreign Ministry said, expressing surprise at foreign statements of support for a wave of protests against the authorities over a fuel price rise. The protests grew into anti-government unrest that saw at least 100 banks and dozens of buildings torched in the …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi, 37, is the youngest minister in the Rouhani Cabinet. He is known to be a key player in the regime’s censorship and surveillance campaign, which intensified in the wake of anti-regime protests. The US sanctioned Azari-Jahromi on Saturday for his role in the Iranian regime’s wide scale Internet …

Al-Arabia – A group of Hezbollah supporters attacked demonstrators protesting against Lebanon’s political elite in central Beirut late Sunday, triggering confrontations as security forces separated the two sides. The Lebanese Civil Defense hospitalized five protesters with different injuries, one of whom was subjected to a knife attack. The attacks by young men armed with clubs and metal rods chanting pro-Hezbollah …