RFL/RE – New Iranian legislation requiring officials to boost uranium enrichment within the country’s controversial nuclear program is seen as an attempt to hurt moderates and sabotage President Hassan Rohani’s efforts to deal with the incoming U.S. administration. The law — which was passed by parliament on December 1 and quickly ratified by the powerful Guardians Council — comes amid …

RFL/RE – Iran plans to install more advanced uranium-enriching centrifuges at an underground plant in breach of its troubled deal with major powers, Reuters reported on December 4, citing a UN nuclear watchdog report. The confidential International Atomic Energy Agency report obtained by Reuters said Iran plans to install three more clusters of advanced IR-2m centrifuges in the underground plant …

Iran-HRM – An appeals court in the western city of Sanandaj has sentenced Kurdish citizen Foad Enayati, to two years of suspended prison term. He was initially sentenced to 10 months in prison and 74 lashes on the charge of “disrupting public order through participating in illegal gatherings.” The flogging sentence against Mr. Enayati which was issued by the Branch …

VOA – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said Friday a resolution to a bitter dispute with Qatar seemed “within reach” after Kuwait announced progress toward ending a row that Washington says hampers a united Gulf front against Iran. The United States and Kuwait have worked to end the dispute, during which Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have …

(HRW) – Iran should address gaps in its long-awaited draft law on violence against women that offers limited protections for survivors of domestic violence, and put it before the parliament for a vote, Human Rights Watch said today. Over the past year alone, several widely publicized instances of violence against women in Iran have drawn national attention and outrage. The authorities should also …

CHRI – Manufactured National Security Charges Used to Silence Free Expression In yet another blow to the Iranian Writers Association, an independent group formed in Iran in 1968 to fight state censorship that is now banned, the authorities in Iran have gone after two more members of the association, arresting and detaining the poet Amin Moradi and prosecuting Arash Ganji, who …

Al-Monitor – President-elect Joe Biden, who has pledged to reenter the landmark Iranian nuclear deal if Tehran comes back into full compliance, says it’s “hard to tell” how the recent assassination of the country’s chief nuclear scientist would impact those negotiations.  Iran has vowed to retaliate for the killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, whose car was fired on in broad daylight just …

The Iranian Health Ministry has confirmed 13,341 COVID-19 infections and 347 deaths due to the disease in the past 24 hours. Health Ministry Spokesperson Sima Lari made the announcement on Friday, saying that 13,341 new cases have been confirmed in the past 24 hours, putting the country’s total infections at 1,016,835. Of the newly detected cases, 1,996 patients have been …

Shabtabnews – In a new statement IOPHR condemned: “The continuing and unacceptable violation of the rights of Iranian Sunni citizens and the demand for the immediate release of Maulana Fazlur Rehman Koohi.” The statement also in regards to the Iranian regime’s relations with other Muslim countries stated that while the” Iranian regime’s warmest relations with the Taliban and ISIS elements, …

Shabtabnews – In a twitter statement USCIRF Commissioner stated: “ USCIRF Commissioner @JohnnieM: “Shame on #Iran for summoning Nasrin Soutudeh back to prison rather than letting her medical care continue. Her advocacy for clients who protested mandatory hijab laws is fully consistent with freedom of religion and belief.” USCIRF Commissioner @JohnnieM: "Shame on #Iran for summoning Nasrin Soutudeh back to …