VOA – Analysis from the black boxes of a downed Ukrainian passenger plane shows it was hit by two missiles 25 seconds apart and that passengers were still alive for some time after the impact of the first blast, Iran said on Sunday. The announcement by the head of Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization marks the first official report on the …

VOA – Last May, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani threatened that there would be a proportionate response to any U.S. attempt to block shipments of Iranian oil to Venezuela. “We will act in reciprocation,” he said. The Middle Eastern country so far, however, has remained evasive about the U.S. seizure of more than 1 million barrels of Iranian gasoline aboard four Greek-owned …

VOA – Iraqi state TV reported that government security forces blocked main arteries Saturday in the southern port city of Basra after protesters torched the local parliament building and a number of Shiite militia headquarters in response to the killings of protest leaders. Protesters with bulldozers in the southern city of Nasiriyah also attacked Shiite party offices after an explosion wounded 11 …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Today, as in the 1880s, big, small and even mini wannabe empire-builders are engaged in a ruthless power game…. The most intense activity comes from Russia and China. China, for its part, is projecting power all over the world while bullying some neighbors and bribing others into submission. When deemed necessary, it also acts with military force, as …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A prisoner who appears to have been sentenced to qisas (retribution in-kind) for murder, has been executed at Khalkhal Prison. According to Iran Human Rights, on the morning of Wednesday, August 20, a prisoner was executed at Khalkhal Prison. He had been transferred to Khalkhal Prison from another prison the day prior to the execution. …

Radiofarda – The Islamic Republic Judiciary has summoned a well-known Iranian journalist and a “National-Religious” activist, Kayvan (Keyvan) Samimi, to serve a three-year prison sentence. Publishing a copy of the summons on his channel on the Telegram messaging app, Samimi has announced that he should go to prison on Monday next week. The 72-year-old political activist is charged with “assembly …

Al-Arabia The United States will increase diplomatic consultations over the next month to reimpose the Iran arms embargo because nothing about Tehran’s behavior says they should have the opportunity to buy weapons in October, a senior US State Department official said. Ortagus told Al Arabiya English that there was “nothing about the behavior of the regime in Iran that would …

RFL/RE – UN atomic-agency boss Rafael Grossi says he will travel to Iran on August 24 to seek “concrete progress” in a dispute between the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and Tehran over nuclear “safeguards” and blocked inspections in Iran.It will be Director-General Grossi’s first trip to Iran since taking over leadership of the agency eight months ago and comes …

Radiofarda – A former coach of Iran’s national soccer team has come under fire for criticizing the Iranian regime’s policy of not recognizing Israel and wishing its annihilation. In a recent online program, Mohammad Mayeli-Kohan said Iran must recognize all members of the United Nations if it accepts the authority of the international organization, and cannot wish the annihilation of …

Radiofarda – Some religious mourning groups in Iran have criticized health authorities for imposing “too-strict” measures that seriously restrict the month-long ceremonies during the Islamic month of Muharram this year. The National Corornavirus Combat Taskforce has banned holding any ceremonies indoors, requiring participants in outdoor venues to wear masks and keep a two-meter distance from others. The duration of the …