CHRI – Detainees held in Iran since the November 2019 street protests—including juveniles—are being beaten, forced to make self-incriminating statements and held in inhumane incarceration conditions, and their families are not being informed of their whereabouts and condition, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned from first-hand accounts in Iran. CHRI calls upon the Iranian authorities to …

Al-Monitor – Despite Iran’s much-publicized satellite launch on Feb. 9 that failed to reach orbit for the third time, Iranian officials have put a positive spin on the endeavor and stressed the country will continue to progress in its space program. Minister of Information and Communications Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi addressed the failure on social media, posting a video on Instagram. …

Radiofarda – Major-General Mohammad-Ali Jafari, the former commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard shattered the meticulously woven myth of the slain Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani as “a nonpartisan figure” by exposing his direct involvement in crackdowns on Iran protesters in 1999 and 2009. “In the seditions of 1999 and 2009 Haj Qassem was present on the streets to fight the …

AP —The United States has signaled to Iraq its willingness to extend sanctions waivers enabling the country to continue importing vital Iranian gas and electricity imports, three Iraqi officials said this week, a move that would be a key test of Baghdad-Washington ties. The decision comes amid strained U.S.-Iraqi ties following last month’s Washington-directed airstrike in Baghdad that killed a …

Radiofarda – While the Islamic Republic is preparing to celebrate the 41st anniversary of the 1979 revolution, the heir to the last Shah of Iran, Prince Reza Pahlavi has described the rulers of the clergy-dominated country as an “alien cult” composed of “criminals”, “thieves” who are “doomed.” The Islamic Republic is set to celebrate the revolution on February 11 and …

Radiofarda – Young Iranian civil rights activist, Ms. Sepideh Qolyan (Gholian), has said she was released on bail February 9 after being charged with “anti-Islamic Republic regime propaganda” and “disseminating fake news” in the third lawsuit filed against her. The twenty-four-year-old Qolyan elaborated on her Twitter account that the prosecutor charged her with “propaganda against the regime” for publishing news …

Radiofarda – The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, will break his country’s diplomatic tradition and not send a message to his Iranian counterpart to congratulate the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. “In light of the current developments in Iran in recent months, there will be no telegram from the Federal President this year,” German daily Die Welt cited a spokeswoman …

VOA – Iranian state television reports Sunday that Iran failed in an attempt to launch an Iranian-made Zafar satellite into the Earth’s orbit. Ahmad Hosseini, a spokesman for the Iranian Defense Ministry’s space program, told state TV that “the Zafar satellite did not reach orbit as planned” because it did not reach the necessary speed. It is at least the …

gatestoneinstitute.org – In the meantime, conscious of the fact that Iranians are suckers for real or fake academic titles, to enhance his persona, Rouhani enrolled in a British college in Glasgow to obtain a PhD in Islamic law. Thus, in a few years’ time, he was able to rebrand himself as Dr. Hassan Rouhani, the “moderate reformist with Western education.” …

iran-hrm – Iranian protesters arrested during the protests in November 2019 are being tried and handed down heavy jail sentences while the fate of thousands of others continue to remain unknown. One of such protesters is Milad Arsanjani, 21. He was sentenced to five years in prison for participating in Iran protests in November 2019 against sudden three-fold increase in …