france24.com – A campaign on a rare scale uniting activists and personalities inside Iran and out is pressing Tehran not to execute men detained over anti-government protests, but faces an uphill struggle. In the face of a furious outcry, symbolised by the viral hashtag #Don’t_Execute (#Edam_Nakon in Persian), Iran’s judiciary last month halted the executions of three young men arrested …

atlanticcouncil.org – “I think Iran and [Donald] Trump are close to a win-win agreement,” veteran Iranian journalist and BBC Persian correspondent Masoud Behnoud recently tweeted on August 8. “Trump has a failed record on foreign policy and will give concessions on the eve of the election. Iran also wants rewards for its patience, especially its patience in the face of the recent explosions.” Behnoud’s striking …

atlanticcouncil.org – In late April, a 10-year-old boy landed in an emergency room with severe eye injuries caused by a violent outburst from his father. Arash had refused to help his family with “waste picking”—an activity undertaken by slum-dwellers to salvage recyclable materials for resale or personal use—out of fear of contracting COVID-19. “The child was beaten for hours before …

AP — The Trump administration has seized the cargo of four tankers it was targeting for transporting Iranian fuel to Venezuela, U.S. officials said Thursday, as it steps up its campaign of maximum pressure against the two heavily sanctioned allies. Last month, federal prosecutors in Washington filed a civil forfeiture complaint alleging that the sale was arranged by a businessman, Mahmoud Madanipour, …

Shabtabnews – USCIRF Releases New Report about Religious Prisoners in Turkmenistan’s Gulag. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released the following new report: Turkmenistan Policy Update – This update describes the brutal conditions that religious prisoners face in Turkmenistan, including detention or disappearance in the country’s vast prison system. Muslims, whom the government has vaguely or falsely accused …

Radiofarda -Brian Hook, the outgoing U.S. State Department Special Representative for Iran, said in a video press conference on Thursday that the United States is going to ensure that the arms embargo on Iran is extended “one way or the other”. The U.S. sent a revised version of the Iran arms embargo to the members of the U.N. Security Council …

Radiofarda – Three journalists and a lawmaker who have publicly discussed bribery allegations against the newly elected Parliament Speaker Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf are being sued by the Iranian Parliament for “libel,” an Iranian Parliament official said on Wednesday. Alireza Sharifi, Director-General of the Parliament’s Public Relations, wrote in a tweet that lawsuits have been filed “against those who assault [the Parliament …

Radiofarda – A divide among Iran’s conservatives casts doubt whether a victory in the May 2021 election is within their reach, despite their overwhelming majority at the Iranian parliament and the fact that many of the institutions that affect the election and its results are also held by conservatives. Despite their differences and infightings, the conservative camp has historically enjoyed …

Radiofarda – Iran on Friday harshly attacked the normalization of ties between Israel and the United Arab Emirates announced a day earlier, calling it a “strategic stupidity” and said the Palestinian people will not forgive Abu Dhabi. Iran is Israel’s most radical foe in the region and the decision by the UAE to normalize ties with the Jewish state undercuts …

Radiofarda – Lithuania on Thursday designated the Lebanese militant Hezbollah group as a terrorist organization and issued a 10-year ban on all individuals related to the Iran-backed group from entering the Baltic nation’s territory. “After receiving valuable information from our foreign partners, we can assume that Hezbollah is functioning on the principles of terrorist organization,” Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said. …