Iran Human Rights (IHR) – Aram Fathi, a Kurdish writer, civil and human rights activist was arrested by security forces at his parent’s home in Marivan. The security forces were violent and did not have an arrest warrant. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, Aram Fathi was arrested at his parent’s house and has been incommunicado with no …

RFL/RE – Negotiators are set to resume talks on reviving the Iran nuclear deal amid reports of disagreements on several key issues. The June 20 talks are part of the latest round of negotiations involving Iran and six world powers that have been going on in Vienna since April. Iran’s top negotiator, Abbas Aqaqchi, said the sides had moved closer …

RFL/RE – Hard-line cleric Ebrahim Raisi has been declared the presumptive winner of Iran’s June 18 presidential vote, which was marred by the disqualification of prominent moderates that paved the way for Raisi’s path to presidency. Concerns have been raised that Raisi’s rise to power could bring more social and political restrictions for Iranians, who already face strict limitations on their lives, …

Iranwire – The following is the content of IranWire’s extraordinary newsletter issued on Saturday, June 19. You can read all our recent, detailed coverage of president-elect Ebrahim Raeesi’s judicial career to date, and analysis of his future prospects, via the links below. Iranians the world over woke up this morning to the actualization of an already near-universally acknowledged truth: the …

gatestoneinstitute.org – While Obama looked the other way, China militarized a string of atolls in seas around it as part of a long-term plan to forge an aggressive profile against its neighbor and the United States. The Chinese challenge can and must be met both in the global arena and inside the People’s Republic itself. Any move in that direction …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Secretary of State Antony Blinken… stated at his inauguration hearing that he had “deep concern about the designation” of the Houthis as a terrorist organization, in that “at least on its surface it seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table….” One wonders if …

VOA – Israel condemned on Sunday the election of hardline judge Ebrahim Raisi as Iranian president, saying his would be a “regime of brutal hangmen” with which world powers should not negotiate a new nuclear deal. Raisi, who is under U.S. sanctions for human rights abuses, secured victory as expected on Saturday in Iran’s presidential election after a contest marked …

Iran-HRM – A border porter or “kolbar” who was shot and injured by police in Kermanshah, western Iran, passed away in the hospital on June 18. The porter was identified as Basir Ahmadzadeh. Basir was shot in the head by the state security forces on June 14 in Nosud border area. Ahmadzadeh’s brother was also injured in the shooting, but …

RFL/RE – State television and rival candidates in a field dominated by hard-liners have said that ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi is on track to win Iran’s presidential election, with the vote count continuing amid signs of a historically low turnout. The heavily vetted field of four candidates and scattered calls for a boycott had been expected to favor 60-year-old cleric and …

amnesty- Responding to today’s announcement declaring Ebrahim Raisi as Iran’s next president, Amnesty International’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said: “That Ebrahim Raisi has risen to the presidency instead of being investigated for the crimes against humanity of murder, enforced disappearance and torture, is a grim reminder that impunity reigns supreme in Iran. In 2018, our organization documented how Ebrahim Raisi had …