Radiofarda – A hardliner member of Iran’s parliament, Majles, has said that he believes “transferring full authority of Iranian islands to China” was included in a proposed 25-year comprehensive cooperation agreement with China. Speaking to the monopolized state-run TV’s Channel One, Mahmoud Ahmadi Bighash insisted that opposition by the people and the Majles aborted the move. Reports concerning the so-called …

Radiofarda – Manouchehr Bakhtiari, the father of a slain protester, who had gone to Kish Island in the Persian Gulf to campaign against a 25-year pact with China was arrested and transferred to Bandar Abbas prison from Kish, his brother said on Saturday. In a video message on social media Mehrdad Bakhtiari said the Intelligence Ministry told him Mr. Bakhtiari …

Radiofarda – A former advisor to Iran’s ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says the Supreme Leader’s office has refused requests by Ahmadinejad to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Abbas Amirifar a cleric who was Ahmadinejad’s cultural advisor in his second term told Sharq newspaper that “For three years Ahmadinejad knocks on every door and begs to get a chance to meet the …

Radiofarda – The Iranian government has for the first time reacted to the “Stop Executions in Iran” hashtag that has been used by more than 10 million Twitter users since Wednesday evening July 15. The hashtag was first used to stop the execution of three young men who were arrested during the November protests in Iran, but it gradually turned into a …

Radiofarda – Precisely three months from now, the international arms embargo on Iran will expire, a development that Washington strongly opposes and attempts to block through all available diplomatic means. While veto-wielding China and Russia have so far voiced their opposition to Washington’s approach toward the case, three European countries, Britain, France and Germany, struggle to find a compromise satisfying …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited the assassination site of slain commander Qassem Soleimani to pay his respects upon his arrival in Baghdad on Sunday, Iranian state media reported. Zarif will meet with a number of senior Iraqi officials during his Sunday visit to the Iraqi capital, including Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, President Barham Salih, and President of …

Al-Arabia – Iran has established relations with and is using al-Shabab militant group in Somalia to attack US and other foreign forces in the country and in the region, a Foreign Policy article said on Friday citing Somali government and security officials. Iran has a proxy network in Somalia and uses facilitators to provide support to “violent extremist organizations” to …

RFL/RE – Iran has suspended the execution of three men linked to anti-government protests in November 2019, one of their lawyers says. Babak Paknia said in a Twitter post on July 19 that the Iranian judiciary had ordered a retrial for the three. The lawyer’s announcement comes after a massive social-media campaign calling for Iran to halt state executions. The …

RFL/RE – The official IRNA news agency has reported an explosion at a power plant in Iran’s central Isfahan Province, but says there were no casualties. There have been several explosions and fires around Iranian military, nuclear, and industrial facilities since late June. The managing director of the Isfahan power company told IRNA on July 19 the blast was caused …

Radiozamaneh – In Feb 2020, the Iranian judiciary announced that it has sentenced three individuals to death in connection with the nation-wide November 2019 protests that erupted over gasoline price. The protests soon took a more radical turn and became about economic and political conditions of the country. In the protests that took place between 15 and 19 November, security …