Radiofarda – Iranian media on Wednesday reported that police in Tehran have arrested three people for selling babies online for adoption. Hossein Rahimi, Chief of Tehran Police, on Wednesday said the Cyberspace Police found out about the scheme and after surveillance arrested three for the crime. At the time of their arrest, the accused had two new-born babies with them. …

RFL/RE – The United States has formally asked the UN Security Council to extend an arms embargo on Iran beyond October, when it is set to be progressively eased under the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.UN Ambassador Kelly Craft and Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook “virtually briefed” the council on a proposed resolution to extend the …

RFL/RE – The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump says “dangerous terrorist threats persisted” in 2019 even as Iran, the Islamic State (IS) extremist group, and Al-Qaeda suffered setbacks.In its annual report on terrorism issued on June 24, the State Department also said that white supremacist attacks were on the rise. Iran, which the report calls “the world’s worst state sponsor of …

RFL/RE – Celebrated Afghan scholar Najib Mayel Heravi has lived in neighboring Iran for nearly 50 years, penning scores of acclaimed books and other treatises on ancient Persian manuscripts, literature, and Islamic mysticism. The 68-year-old native of Herat in western Afghanistan has an Iranian wife, and both of his sons were born in Iran.But with only temporary residency, Heravi has …

RFL/RE – Turkey’s Defense Ministry says one Turkish soldier has been killed and two others wounded in the southeastern part of the country after they came under fire from the Iranian side of the border. The June 24 statement from the Defense Ministry did not say who had shot at its soldiers. It said the Turkish soldiers were conducting a …

Iran-HRM – Adel Asakereh, a civil activist teaching in rural areas in Khuzestan, was sentenced to nine years in jail by the Public and Revolutionary Court of Shadegan, in southwestern Khuzestan Province. Adel Asakereh is charged with “distortion of public opinion”, “insulting the leader, officials and agents” and “acting against national security.” The charges and ensuing verdict are based on …

VOA – The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on five Iranian ship captains who had delivered oil to Venezuela, and the U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reaffirmed Washington’s backing for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.    FILE – Secretary of State Pompeo speaks during a press conference at the State Department, June 24, 2020 in Washington. Speaking at a …

CHRI – Imprisoned teachers’ rights activist Esmail Abdi, who has been serving a six-year prison sentence since 2016 for his peaceful teachers’ rights activism, is facing additional years in prison with the enforcement of a suspended sentence issued a decade ago. A high school teacher and former secretary general of the Iranian Teachers’ Trade Association (ITTA), Abdi had been handed a …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Officials at the Oshnavieh Civil Registration Office have finally issued Hedayat Abdullahpour’s death certificate to his family. This officially confirms news of the political prisoner’s execution, which Iran Human Rights had previously reported. In an unprecedented move since the 1980s, Hedayat was executed by a firing squad. According to IHR, in an official letter, registrars …

Al-Monitor – At a Cabinet meeting in Tehran June 24, President Hassan Rouhani said Tehran is open to negotiations “as soon as the White House and Congress return from the wrong path … offer an apology and compensate [for] the loss they inflicted upon Iran.” Rouhani was referring to the US withdrawal from the multilateral 2015 Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive …