Radiofarda – The Spokesman of Iran’s Armed Forces on Tuesday said Iran’s Police and the Revolutionary Guard’s militia arm (Basij) have arrested 3,600 individuals for “spreading rumors about coronavirus”. Radio Farda has interviewed the U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook about these arrests and also about the administration’s plan to have the U.S. arms embargo remain in place after …

Radiofarda – In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL on Thursday, the EU Foreign Policy Chief Josep Borrell said the United States can no longer be considered as a participating member of the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran. In May 2018 President Trump officially withdrew from the nuclear agreement with Iran — officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action …

Al-Arabia – The World Health Organization said Friday it hoped China would invite it to take part in its investigations into the animal origins of the novel coronavirus. “WHO would be keen to work with international partners and at the invitation of the Chinese government to participate in investigation around the animal origins,” WHO spokesman Tarik Jasarevic told AFP in …

Al-Arabia – Renowned physician Dr. Kamiar Alaei, who was imprisoned for his HIV/AIDS work in Iran, said on Thursday the Iranian government has tried to diminish the significance of the coronavirus epidemic and that disagreement between government sectors confused medical staff and the public. “They tried to undermine the significance of the coronavirus and that was unfortunately a wrong message …

Iran-HRM – Millions of Iranian workers celebrate May 1, the International Labor Day, as they have their livelihoods ruined during the coronavirus epidemic. Even before the outbreak, Iran stood way below the international standards in regards with workers’ rights.Workers’ wages and monthly salaries are not paid for months. Workers have to get loans and pay interest, sell their organs or …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A prisoner sentenced to death on “drug” charges has been executed in Hamadan Central Prison. According to IHR sources, Vahed Rostamzadeh who was sentenced to death on “drug” charges, was executed in Hamadan Central Prison on Thursday morning, April 30. He was transferred to solitary confinement on Monday, April 27 when Iran Human Rights warned …

CHRI – Amid a renewed crackdown on peaceful criticism of Iranian state policies, the son of imprisoned filmmaker and journalist Mohammad Nourizad is being arbitrarily prosecuted to “pressure” Nourizad to be silent, his wife told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “My son and other young people who expressed sympathy with the [Ukrainian plane] crash victims’ families should be praised, not imprisoned,” …

Al-Monitor – The United States said Thursday that cash-strapped Venezuela is paying Iran in gold to rebuild its troubled oil industry as it denounced what it saw as growing cooperation between its two adversaries. Elliott Abrams, the envoy who leads US efforts to topple Venezuela’s leftist leader Nicolas Maduro, said that Iran has been sending “more and more planes” to …

bostonglobe.com – We might be chafing at the stay-at-home orders during the COVID-19 crisis, but Iranian auteur Jafar Panahi has for years endured a similar but far graver confinement and made the most of it. In 2010 an Iranian court punished his outspokenness with a six-year prison term, later reduced to house arrest, plus a 20-year ban on making movies. Since then …