(AFP) -Protesters poured into the streets of the Lebanese capital Saturday to decry the collapse of the economy, as clashes erupted between supporters and opponents of the Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah. Hundreds filled the streets in and around the protest hub of Martyrs Square in the center of Beirut, blaming a lack of government reforms for the economic crisis. Debt-burdened …

Radiofarda – Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran and Senior Advisor to the Secretary of State on Friday called for the release of the remaining American prisoners in Iran while Iranian hardliners vehemently dismissed any negotiations with the United States. “The United States calls for the release of U.S. citizens Baqer Namazi, Siamak Namazi, and Morad Tahbaz, who have …

RFL/RE – Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry says that authorities in Iran’s Yazd Province have accepted that their police forces shot a vehicle carrying Afghan migrants earlier this week, killing three people. The ministry said on June 6 that four others were wounded as the vehicle caught fire after it was shot. A video showing an Afghan boy escaping from a blazing …

VOA – OPEC and other key oil producers agreed Saturday to extend production cuts of nearly 10 million barrels of oil a day through July to boost oil prices severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. “All participating countries… agreed the option of extending the first phase of the production adjustments pertaining in May and June by one further month,” OPEC …

VOA – As the U.S. and Iran welcome the latest freeing of each other’s citizens and call for more such releases, the next deal between the longtime foes could be complicated by who is involved and who isn’t. U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted their approval of this week’s Swiss-mediated agreement. It saw Iran …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The trend we witness in world politics is away from the initial forms of globalization and toward a reassertion of the nation-state as one of the two key players in international economic and business relations, the other player being transnational businesses. The disastrous performance of the World Health Organization (WHO) during the current Covid-19 pandemic is just one …

Shabtab – In an open letter international religious freedom experts urged the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to continue the mandate of the Special Envoy for the promotion of freedom of religion or belief outside the EU. The letter declared “Nobody should be persecuted because of their faith. The role of the Special Envoy for the promotion of religion …

Radiofarda – In an unprecedented move, the Iranian Judiciary has explained for the first time how it has spent the interest earned on the bonds deposited into its accounts by those implicated in criminal and political cases. However, analysts, political figures and social media users in Iran are still sceptical about these accounts and their transactions. Mizan News, the official …

AP – U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said Friday she has shared a draft U.N. Security Council resolution with Russia that would extend the arms embargo against Iran indefinitely. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said last month that Moscow will oppose any U.S. attempts to extend the arms embargo, which expires on Oct. 18, and reimpose U.N. sanctions on Iran. Craft …

Radiofarda – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says airstrikes attributed to Israel has killed at least nine “Iranian-backed” forces in the Syrian province of Hama. The airstrikes were conducted on Thursday evening, June 4, during which missiles were fired at workshops linked to the Syrian army’s Military Industries Complex. “Anti-aircraft defense systems have been activated in Hama, responding to …