RFL/RE – Taliban militants say progress has been made in talks with a delegation of Afghan government representatives in Tehran on finding a political solution to the escalating violence in the war-torn country amid the withdrawal of U.S. troops. Taliban spokesman Mohammad Naeem tweeted on July 8 that the two sides agreed in a joint declaration that they had come …

RFL/RE – Iran’s outgoing President Hassan Rohani has blamed frequent blackouts on a heat wave and a severe drought that is sharply driving up electricity demand.Tehran and other major Iranian cities have experienced frequent power outages over the past several days and authorities say they may continue through the end of the month.“We regret the problems the people have had …

Iranwire – Iranian citizen Mohammad Abolhassani, who faces charges related to his peaceful political activism, was recently beaten by security agents after appealing to Branch 36 of the Court of Appeal. The agents mistook Abolhassani for being detained on drugs charges. Abolhassani had been previously detained on other charges and had been released on bail. Abolhassani, a civil rights activist, was …

Iranwire – Two Iranian athletes will face off in the taekwondo opening rounds at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics: Nahid Kiani from Iran’s national team, and Kimia Alizadeh from the independent Olympic Refugee Team. Iran’s mainstream media has fixated on the competition – calling it “unexpected” and “attractive,” but also “sensitive” – but Fars News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard …

Iranwire – A baker dumps his spoiled dough in front of Ilam Electricity Office. A man asks in terror about the fate of his hospitalized father in Tabriz. A woman tears off her state-sanctioned hijab at a municipal office and declares: “No-one is here. There’s just one angry woman here today.” These and countless other videos circulating online in the …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A 21-year-old death row prisoner sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Mashhad Central Prison on Monday. According to the official Khorasan newspaper, a man was executed in Mashhad Central Prison on July 5. Sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, he has only been identified as 21-year-old Mehdi.G. Mehdi is reported to have killed one of his …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A prisoner named Faizollah Ahmadzadeh who was sentenced to death on drug-related charges has been executed in Qom Central Prison. At least 43 prisoners, including one woman, have been executed on drug-related charges in Iranian prisons in 2021. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Qom Central Prison in …

Iran Human Rights (IHR) – A 70-year-old man sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Mashhad Central Prison on June 30. Another man was reported to have been executed at the same prison on the same charge and the same day. According to the official Khorasan newspaper, a man was executed in Mashhad Central Prison on June 30. …

Al-monitor – Hot take: Iran’s escalation in Iraq is all about timing… and it’s likely to backfire Timing is everything. Pro-Iran militias have launched five drone and rocket attacks on US bases in Iraq this week, injuring two in the most recent, as Ali Mamouri reports. The attacks by groups aligned with Iran put at risk the yet-to-be scheduled seventh and perhaps final round of talks …

responsiblestatecraft.org – The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, an umbrella group representing various Jewish American and pro-Israel organizations, is planning to host Reza Pahlavi, the heir apparent to the last Shah of Iran, for an off-the-record “special leadership briefing” on Thursday, bringing questions and condemnations from other pro-Israel and Iranian American groups. An invitation sent to member organizations …