Radiofarda – The Police Commander of Ahwaz, the capital of oil-rich Khuzestan Province, on Wednesday denied reports and evidence that security forces had fired non-lethal pellets at protesting villagers and used tear gas in a deprived village. According to Ahwaz Human Rights Organization the villagers wounded by the security forces were protesting the destruction of their homes and confiscation of …

Al-Arabia – German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas agreed with his Israeli counterpart Thursday that an effort must be made to extend a weapon embargo on Iran, while stressing Germany still sees the landmark 2015 deal between Tehran and world powers as the best way to prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. With a current UN arms embargo on …

Radiofarda – A former lawmaker in Iran says some legislators in the current parliament “exert pressure” to use government-owned cars and properties for free while receiving money for these expenses through their supplemental pay. Speaking to the state-run Young Journalist Club (YJC) news website on Wednesday, August 26, Mohammad Javad Jamali Nobandegani said, “such expenses are fully paid to the …

Radiofarda – The latest Chinese Customs’ data show the country imported about 120,000 barrels of oil per day from Iran in July, worth a total of $134 million, after showing zero imports in June. This figure corresponds with information provided to Radio Farda by Kpler, a data intelligence company providing transparency solutions in commodity markets. Based on the same data, …

Radiofarda – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the Libyan conflict and countering Iranian regional influence with his Emirati counterpart during a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The visit followed a U.S. brokered-accord this month, which saw the UAE become just the third Arab state to agree to establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. Pompeo, …

Radiofarda – Iran President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday that the country’s revenue has been reduced by 900 trillion rials (roughly equivalent to $214 billion) since the United States re-imposed sanctions on Iran in May 2018, maintaining that despite that loss, Iran is “still standing on its feet.” Speaking at a weekly cabinet meeting on Wednesday President Rouhani praised the …

Al-Monitor – Iran has agreed to grant inspectors from the United Nations’ atomic watchdog access to two suspected nuclear sites, Tehran announced today, as Washington presses on with its bid to restore international sanctions.  In a joint statement, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Iran said today that they had reached an agreement on dates for access and verification activities …

BBC – Iranian musician Mehdi Rajabian says he is facing trial for working with female singers and dancers. The 30-year-old, who has already been imprisoned twice on charges relating to his music, says he was arrested two weeks ago over his latest project. The album, which is not yet complete, is due to include female vocalists – who are effectively …

thediplomat.com – While the United States has imposed sanctions on Chinese officials and companies complicit in the abuse of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities, Beijing makes use of its deep pockets to buy the silence of majority Muslim countries around the world. The most shocking among these is Turkey, which shares not only religious but also ethnic affinity with China’s more than 12 million …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s death toll from the novel coronavirus rose by 119 to 21,020, the health ministry’s spokeswoman told state TV on Wednesday, with the total number of identified cases rising to 365,606.Sima Sadat Lari said that 2,243 new cases were identified in the past 24 hours in Iran, rising from 2,213 a day earlier. Read the latest updates in …