Radiofarda – To stem the spread of the virus in crowded jails, Iran’s judiciary on Sunday extended furloughs for 100,000 prisoners. On March 17, Iran said it had freed about 85,000 people from jail temporarily, including political prisoners. “The second wave of (the) temporary release of prisoners had already started and their (100,000 prisoners) furloughs have been extended until April …

Radiofarda – Major U.S. newspapers say American troops are preparing for a confrontation with Iran’s Shiite allies in Iraq. They also say the Pentagon has been reviewing action plans for operations in the coming weeks. The reports say the Pentagon has getting rid of Kataeb Hizballah, one of the major groups that make up the Hashd al-Sha’bi militia in Iraq …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s Basij Force has offered to send medical supplies to those in need in America after converting the former US embassy in Tehran into a mask production workshop. The Basij Force, the paramilitary arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), launched a mask production workshop in the former US embassy in Tehran, Iran’s official IRNA news agency …

Al-Arabia – Two intelligence officers at Iran’s consulate in Turkey instigated the killing last November of an Iranian dissident in Istanbul who criticized the Islamic Republic’s political and military leaders, two senior Turkish officials told Reuters. The accusation is likely to strain ties between Turkey and Iran, two regional powers which had grown closer under the government of Turkish President …

RFL/RE – The global death toll has surpassed 33,800 with over 718,000 infections confirmed, causing mass disruptions as governments continue to try to slow the spread of the new respiratory illness. Here’s a roundup of developments in RFE/RL’s broadcast countries. Russia Authorities in Moscow will impose on March 30 tighter restrictions on residents in an attempt to contain the spread …

Radiofarda – Data collected by Radio Farda show that 66,657 persons have so far been hospitalized or quarantined in 31 provinces of Iran for having Covid-19 symptoms, while the government reports 35,000 tested cases in the country. Furthermore, the same data also indicates that 4,298 people have so far fallen victim to the Covid-19. The government figures indicate around 2,500 …

Radiofarda — Iran’s official government news agency IRNA has reported “clashes” in Hamedan prison, following reports of unrest in other prisons in recent days. The report did not provide much detail about the “unrest” in the Hamedan prison, in Western Iran, except saying there were “clashes between prisoners” and authorities in the province bringing back calm in the facility. IRNA …

Radiofarda – Iranian news agencies for the first time revealed the names of IRGC Ground Force’s 10 Regional Headquarters on Thursday March 26. These 10 headquarters, along with the Sarallah HQ in Tehran, constitute the IRGC’s nationwide network of operational command. Individual headquarters and their commanders were known to experts, but this was the first time all the headquarters mentioned …

Radiofarda – The Head of the Epidemiology Committee of Iran’s Coronavirus Combat Taskforce on Saturday said coronavirus (SARS-2-CoV) was spreading in Iran without being noticed since around January 20. In a video conference with reporters, Dr. Ali-Akbar Haqdoust said there was a delay in detection of the virus in Iran. Iranian Health Ministry officials have until now insisted that the …

Radiofarda – A senior official of Iran’s Ministry of Cultural Heritage has said that the cotronavirus epidemic will cost $200 million to the country’s tourism industry in three months. Mr. Vali Taymuri, the ministry’s deputy in charge of tourism, told the official IRNA news website on March 28 the government has tried to help hotels by cancelling their insurance and …