Shabtabnews – In a twitter statement US Office of International Religious Freedom declared : “We are concerned by amendments to Articles 499 & 500 of Iran’s penal code, which may lead to more prosecutions of individuals for exercising their freedoms of religion, belief & expression. We call on Iran to uphold these human rights for all, including religious minorities. “ …

(Reuters) – The U.N. atomic watchdog on Friday flagged a new breach by Iran of its nuclear deal with major powers on the day those powers met to revive the agreement, a report by the agency seen by Reuters showed, likely raising tensions with Western powers.Slideshow ( 2 images ) The International Atomic Energy Agency avoids saying Iran has breached the …

Al-Arabia – Envoys from China and Russia to the Iran nuclear talks said on Friday there had been progress in efforts to bring Iran and the US back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and that all sides would reconvene next week. Former US President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal, which lifted economic sanctions on Iran in return …

Iranwire – Eighteen Iranian filmmakers who criticized the recent 25-year cooperation agreement between Iran and China have been told to withdraw their signatures or face blacklisting. On April 4, the 18 industry figures had published an open letter condemning the deal, stating that it was against the national interest and the contents were being “kept hidden from the Iranian people”. …

Iranwire – For years now, the results of corruption in the Iranian drug market have been linked by officials to sanctions whenever they come up. Since the outbreak of coronavirus in Iran these debates have become even more heated than before. At the top tier, sprawling parastatal holdings companies such as the Barakat Foundation occupy a central position in the …

VOA – A South Korean oil tanker held for months by Iran amid a dispute over billions of dollars seized by Seoul was freed and sailed away early Friday, just hours ahead of further talks between Tehran and world powers over its tattered nuclear deal. MarineTraffic.com data showed the MT Hankuk Chemi leaving Bandar Abbas in the early morning hours. South Korea’s …

VOA – As Iran sent three gasoline shipments to fuel-starved Venezuela in recent months in defiance of U.S. sanctions, the Biden administration apparently did nothing to stop the tankers, signaling a reticence to enforce the sanctions and a savviness by the anti-U.S. allies in evading them. Two National Iranian Tanker Company (NITC)-owned vessels, the Faxon and the Fortune, delivered several …

Iran-HRM – The coronavirus has spread in Karaj Central Prison and a large number of prisoners have been infected, according to informed sources. Covid-19 cases have been reported in the hall 1 of the prison, which is a quarantine and a place for newly arrived prisoners. At least 35 prisoners with acute Covid-19 have been taken to hospital over the …

Iran-HRM – Iranian authorities have summoned nine Baha’i citizens to begin prison terms after convicting them of security crimes for peaceful activities including proselytizing for the Baha’i faith. On April 6, nine Baha’i men and women were summoned to serve their prison terms in Alborz Province, west of the capital Tehran. They were told to present themselves within five days …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Farhad Salmanpour Zoheir, a civil activist and whistleblower currently held at the 2nd Brigade of the Greater Tehran Penitentiary (Fashafuyeh), has been denied medical care despite several injuries and is kept with prisoners convicted of violent crimes without regard for the principle of the separation of crimes. His lawyer, Mohammad Hossein Aghasi told Iran Human …