The New Yorker – Khamenei, at eighty, is beset by unrest. But, a dissident said, “this regime will do whatever it takes to hold on to power.” By Dexter Filkins May 18, 2020 One night last December, the chief resident physician at a hospital in the Iranian city of Gorgan was asked to consult on a baffling case: a patient …

PayvandNews – Iranian Judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaeili announced on Tuesday that two of the defendants in corruption cases were sentenced to death. The defendants, a husband and a wife, were involved in manipulating the foreign exchange and gold markets and hoarding cars from Siapa Company. Vahid Behzadi sitting next to his wife Najva Lashidaee at a court session “In a …

Radiofarda – Islamic Republic’s President Hassan Rouhani Monday called for the establishment of a few “main political parties” in the country that could take turns to govern. Iran has dozens of registered political parties and groups but their ability to become nationwide, grassroots influential organizations are curbed by the authoritarian nature of the political system. Rouhani in a meeting with …

Radiofarda – The “leader of the largest trafficking gang of Iranian women in Malaysia” has been arrested and transferred to Iran, media in Tehran reported on May 18. The operation to capture him was coordinated with the INTERPOL, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC)-linked Tasnim news agency reported. The leader nicknamed “Alex” has been “smuggling and selling Iranian girls abroad …

Radiofarda – President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani has issued an order to establish a nineteen-member body as the “Sardar Soleimani World Award Policy Council”.Sardar means Marshal or Chief Commander in Persian. The order is based on a resolution by the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution. Qassem Soleimani, the Chief Commander of Qods Force, …

Evidence show that the Iranian army’s navy did not know about the Konarak Frigate’s situation and whereabouts for about three hours after it was hit by a missile fired from another Iranian vessel on May 10. During the past week, there have been significant questions about the incident but no one in the line of command of Iranian armed forces …

Radiofarda – In a letter to Iran’s parliament on Monday the Interior Ministry claimed that it has not been found responsible for the causes and consequences of the November protests against the tripling of the price of gasoline. According to the portal of the Interior Ministry, the letter has been read to the lawmakers in the open session of the …

Reuters -Iran has begun withdrawing its forces from Syria, Israel’s outgoing defense minister said on Monday, without offering any evidence to support his assertion. Naftali Bennett also urged his successor, Benny Gantz, to maintain pressure on Iran, adding that the trend might otherwise reverse. Iran, Israel’s arch-enemy in the Middle East, has been a key supporter, along with Russia, of …

Radiofarda – The “project to oust the Syrian strongman, Bashar al-Assad” is a “big American-Zionist lie”, says a former senior Iranian diplomat and a current advisor to the speaker of parliament. In a tweet on Sunday, May 17, Hossein Amirabdollahian insisted that “Bashar al-Assad is the legal President of Syria and the great leader in the combat against takfiri terrorism …

Radiofarda – Iran yesterday warned the United States not to interfere with a convoy of five Iranian tankers heading towards Venezuela and loaded with approximately 220-240 million litters of gasoline. According to TankerTrackers.com an oil shipping analysis firm, five Iranian flagged tankers FORTUNE, PETUNIA, FOREST, FAXON and CLAVEL were loaded in the Persian Gulf Port Shahid Rajaee in March and April. At …