VOA – The son of Iran’s last monarch, exiled opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, has for the first time called on Iranians to consider creating an elected monarch position as part of any system that replaces the Islamic republic, while downplaying the prospect that he would serve in such a role.     Iran’s largely exiled opposition groups have long been divided on …

Iranwire – Mahmoud Sadeghi, a reformist political activist and former member of the Iranian parliament, has become the latest to express concerns about low turnout in the upcoming presidential election. In an interview with ILNA on Sunday, Sadeghi said the reformists were determined to nominate a candidate even though polls indicated that “the turnout will be less than 25 percent”. …

Iranwire – Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called for the heads of the Islamic Republic’s security services to face judicial proceedings over the explosion at the Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. Speaking to his supporters in Hormozgan province, the ex-premier sharply criticized the intelligence service’s record in going after ordinary citizens instead of its own officials. “A young man stands …

Iranwire – This spring the fire of protest in Sistan and Baluchistan province have once again been reduced to ashes by state-sponsored violence, arrests and repression.   Since demonstrations broke out in Saravan in early March 2021, there have been sporadic reports of continued protests and arrests in the city. Why this is happening is lost on no-one – including …

Iranwire – Amid escalating pressure on Christian converts in Iran, agents of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic have reportedly arrested three converts in the city of Dezhful. The news was broken by the website Mohabbat on Monday, April 19, and described as a sign of the new wave of harassment of Christian converts in Khuzestan province. The …

Iran-HRM – Prison authorities have put Maryam Akbari Monfared, an Iranian dissident serving a 15-year sentence, under pressure in Semnan prison where she was recently banished to. Political prisoner Maryam Akbari Monfared has been additional pressure since she was exiled from Evin Prison to the Prison of Semnan on March 9, 2021. Prison authorities monitor all contacts she makes with her family …

Iran-HRM – A Kurdish man lost his life after falling off a cliff to his death while being chased by security forces in a mountainous border region where he was working as a porter. Hiva Ghaderi was killed on April 17 in Baneh, western Iran and locals transferred his body to a medical clinic. On the same day, another porter …

CHRI – A year after agents of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry arrested and tortured them, university students Ali Younesi and Amirhossein Moradi remain in Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, controlled by the ministry, while being denied access to lawyers and their relatives, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) has learned. The Sharif University of Technology honor students were due …

Al-Monitor – Iranian media announced the death of the Quds Force deputy over the weekend. However, the words used to describe his death have left doubts among citizens and led to speculation about the true cause of his death. Mohammad Hejazi, 62, reportedly died of a heart attack according to Iranian media. Immediately after the announcement, some media outlets began referring …

Shabtabnews – Over 115 organizations, political parties, civic associations, cultural and research centers released a joint statement in support of the “#NoToIslamicRepublic” campaign, calling it the “voice of a people who have decided to end the Islamic Republic’s reign”. Over 115 organizations, political parties, civic associations, cultural and research centers released a joint statement in support of the "#NoToIslamicRepublic" campaign, …