theguardian.com – New coronavirus infections in Iran have risen sharply since the country relaxed its restrictions on movement, while France has said it will reimpose strict lockdowns if cases surge when it begins to emerge from confinement next week. Tehran on Wednesday reported 1,680 new infections, nearly double the figure four days ago and the highest daily figure since 11 April when it allowed …

Radiofarda – Hamed Tarhib, a distributor of camel products in Iran, says he sells camel urine to Iraqi travelers for $ 50 a liter. Tarahib has also exported 370 liters (approximately 97.7 US gallons) of camel urine in eight months. He has also applied for an export license but says officials at agriculture ministry have laughed at his request. However, …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Judiciary Spokesman on Tuesday said they have advised authorities to deal with labor protests leniently while new charges of “propaganda against the regime” were brought against a prominent jailed labor activist. Speaking about the latest developments in Haft Tapeh Sugar Mill privatization case that has led to labor unrest for the past two years, Gholam-Hossein Esmaili said: “We think …

Radiofarda – An Iranian news agency with close ties to the Revolutionary Guard on Wednesday reported that the Intelligence Ministry has “tracked down and destroyed two terrorist cells”. According to Tasnim News Agency the two cells were affiliated with “separatist groups that had entered the country from the neighboring eqlim [the Iraqi Kurdistan] to carry out harassment and terrorist activities”. …

RFL/RE – U.S. President Trump has vetoed a congressional resolution to prevent military action against Iran without first receiving permission from Congress amid rising tensions in the Middle East. In a statement on May 6, Trump described the attempt by lawmakers to curtail a president’s war powers as “very insulting” and based on “misunderstandings of facts and law.” In a rare …

RFL/RE – Iranian President Hassan Rohani has threatened a “crushing response” if the United States continues efforts to prolong a UN Security Council arms embargo on Tehran that is set to expire later this year. A landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six world powers provided for Tehran to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of …

RFL/RE – The siblings of a detained Iranian student have dismissed a judiciary claim that their brother has ties to the exiled opposition Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization (MKO or MKE). Speaking on May 5, judiciary spokesman Gholam Hossein Esmaili accused two students detained last month of contacts with the MKO, which is considered a terrorist group by the Islamic republic. The …

Amnesty – Hossein Sepanta, a critically ill prisoner in Adelabad prison in Shiraz, Fars province, is suffering from a disorder in his spinal cord, causing him severe pain, numbness, loss of coordination, impaired movement, and bladder and bowl control issues. The authorities must give immediate effect to medical advice that his health will be irreparably affected by continued imprisonment and …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – The spokesperson for the Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran on Tuesday, May 5, accused Ali Younesi and Amir Hossein Moradi, who were arrested on April 10, of having links with an opposition group, Mojahedin Khalq Organization (MEK), and being in possession of “explosive devices.” The charge could result in severe punishment for the …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Majid Esmaeilzadeh, a juvenile offender who was executed at Ardabil prison on April 18, 2020, “was tortured to confess at the time of arrest”, his father told IHR. Majid was 17 at the time of committing the alleged crime. His family was poor and could not afford to pay for lawyers and his public defender …