Al-Monitor – Iran and the remaining parties to the landmark nuclear agreement will meet virtually Friday to discuss a possible US return to the deal, an initiative welcomed by the Biden administration.  Representatives from China, Russia, France, Germany and Britain “will discuss the prospect of a possible return of the United States to the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action] …

Shabtabnews – In a public statement Markus Grübel (A member of the German Bundestag ) declared : ““I am calling upon the regime in Iran to release all prisoners of conscience such as the Sufis and the Baha’i community, and to end the persecutions based on religion. No one should be discriminated against due to their religion or belief. With …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The latest evidence that Iran is continuing to conceal vital elements of its nuclear programme from the outside world suggest that, even if there is a resumption of negotiations on Tehran’s nuclear programme, the regime has little genuine interest in complying with the terms of any future deal. In another provocative move, Iran’s conservative-dominated parliament has ordered the …

Iranwire – The rental home thatAkbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and Ali Khamenei shared before the Islamic Revolution was located in an old neighborhood in south Tehran, on Nayeb es-Saltaneh (Goethe) Avenue’s Razzagh-Nia Alley, near a Peugeot repair shop. Rafsanjani’s share of the rent was 220 tomans and Khamenei contributed 200, or around $31 and $29 respectively. These were the only two …

CHRI – Intelligence agencies in Iran are increasingly using state-funded entertainment productions to spread state propaganda and improve their image among the public, according to research by the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). Iranian Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi boasted about the substantial role of the state’s security establishment in the production of local films and television shows during …

(Reuters) – The European Union will target eight Iranian militia and police commanders and three state entities with sanctions next week over a deadly crackdown in November 2019 by Iranian authorities, three diplomats said on Wednesday. The travel bans and asset freezes will be the first time the EU has imposed sanctions on Iran for human rights abuses since 2013 …

gatestoneinstitute.org – According to a leaked draft of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement, circulated last year, Iran will receive $400 billion dollars in Chinese investments over the next 25 years in key Iranian economic sectors, including energy, telecommunications, defense, infrastructure, banking, petrochemicals, railways and ports. According to the leaked draft, there will be also an expansion of military assistance, training …

Al-Monitor – During a Cabinet meeting today, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani discussed the ongoing tension with the United States over reentry into the nuclear deal and the economic sanctions on Tehran.  Rouhani said the United States is “100% at fault for the sanctions, no one can doubt this.” He said the “inhumane sanctions” started under President Donald Trump and said he had recently heard …