Iranwire – On the last day of the Iranian week ending on Thursday July 8, the daily number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in Iran suddenly exceeded 23,000. While the Delta variant has been fueling the fifth wave of coronavirus infections, Iran’s vaccination program has remained steeped in a quagmire of mismanagement. Once in a while, shipments of Covid-19 vaccines do …

Iranwire – This week US officials said the Islamic Republic of Iran has not yet stated its readiness for the seventh round of indirect talks in Vienna over a potential return to the JCPOA. For Hassan Rouhani’s government, which will formally be dissolved on August 5, the clock is ticking on a final opportunity to save face. Meanwhile, reports from Iran indicate that …

Iranwire – The secretary of Iran’s Natural Disaster Task Force has said hundreds of large plains in the country are at risk of subsidence due to decreased level of underground water. Ali Baitollahi, secretary of the nationwide working group, which was set up in 2002 and answers to the Interior Ministry, told ISNA news agency that no fewer than 609 tracts of …

VOA – Iran’s railroad system came under cyberattack Friday, a semi-official news agency reported, with hackers posting fake messages about train delays or cancellations on display boards at stations across the country.   The hackers posted messages such as “long delayed because of cyberattack” or “canceled” on the boards. They also urged passengers to call for information, listing the phone …

nufdiran.org – What is Happening: Iran is currently experiencing a series of power outages that have impacted the everyday lives of Iranains and have effectively shut down businesses, schools, hospitals, and a handful of other necessary establishments as well as disrupted phone networks and important home appliances. The regime has blamed the outages on recent drought and high demands on the …

Iranwire – “The Iran of 2025 is a developed country, ranking first in the region in economy, science and technology, with an Islamic and revolutionary identity, giving inspiration to the Islamic world and playing a constructive and effective role in international relations.” This is the preamble to a document entitled “Prospects for the Islamic Republic on the Threshold of 2025”, …

Iranwire – In a flurry of reports Thursday, July 1, local media and environmentalists in Khuzestan once again raised the alarm about the water crisis threatening the province. The last month has seen the drying-up of the Karkheh and Zohreh riverbeds in western Khuzestan, as well as the Hur al-Azim wetlands and tributaries. A lack of water has put various …

(Reuters) – Taliban fighters seized control on Thursday of a key district in western Afghanistan that includes a major border crossing with Iran, Afghan security officials said, as the Islamist insurgents continued their rapid military advances around the country. In the last week, the Taliban have overrun areas bordering five countries – Iran, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, China and Pakistan – as …

barrons.com – Stalled efforts to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal must address the “changed circumstances” since the accord was negotiated, a US senator from President Joe Biden’s Democratic party told AFP. “There is a strong, almost universal desire by Congress… to go beyond the sunset dates that were included in the JCPOA,” said Senator Ben Cardin, referring to dates …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s health officials dismissed several statements about a “US sabotage attack” or halts in the country’s indigenous vaccine projects. “The production line of COV-Iran Barakat is operating with full capacity,” read a statement issued by the state-funded Shifapharmed Industrial Group, which is involved in the production of one in a long list of vaccines Iran says it has developed to immunize …