RFL/RE – Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov says he is scheduled to meet with the U.S. special envoy for Iran for two days of talks expected to focus on Tehran’s nuclear program. Moscow and Washington have been planning the consultations between Ryabkov and U.S. envoy Robert Malley “for a rather long time in order to discuss the whole situation …

Iranwire – A news presenter based in northeastern Iran says he lost his job with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting after criticizing the expulsion of a distinguished philosopher from Islamic Azad University. Hamid Arun, who works for the IRIB’s Razavi Khorasan Radio and Television, had taken to Twitter to express his dismay after it emerged that Bijan Abdolkarimi, a professor …

Iranwire – As the Covid-19 death toll rises in Iran, people aged between 40 and 60 are most at risk, an infectious disease expert in Tehran has warned. The number of people over 60 getting the vaccine in Iran has increased in recent weeks, meaning middle-aged Iranians are dying from Covid-19 more than any other age group. In an interview with …

Iranwire – In the eyes of Iran’s ruling clerics, music, the arts and youth culture are among the permanent prime suspects in fostering what they perceive to be “deviance” in society, and what might elsewhere be classed as progress. The essence of these suspicions is rooted in tradition, and their reading of Shia Islam, which takes a hostile approach toward …

Iranwire- The Statistical Center of Iran has reported an increase in Iran’s production inflation rate of 60 percent in the spring of 2021: a new record hike in costs in a single quarter. Year-on-year, it found, the country’s production cost index has rocketed by 73 percent. Invariably, this will have an effect on already eye-watering consumer prices. The intensity of inflation varied in different …

VOA – The U.N. atomic watchdog on Tuesday criticized Iran for stonewalling an investigation into past activities and jeopardizing important monitoring work, possibly complicating efforts to resume talks on the Iran nuclear deal.  The International Atomic Energy Agency said in two reports to member states reviewed by Reuters that there had been no progress on two central issues: explaining uranium …

Al-Monitor – The commander of the Ground Forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned Iraq’s Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) of a “decisive and harsh response” against Kurdish fighters based in the semi-autonomous Kurdish territory. “The current situation is no longer tolerable,” said Gen. Mohammad Pakpour in reference to a recent uptick in border clashes between Iraq-based Iranian Kurdish …

RFL/RE – The Iranian Foreign Ministry says Tehran will “definitely” continue talks in Vienna aimed at reviving the country’s nuclear deal with world powers.Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh made the comments on September 6, a day after Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi held a phone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, during which the two leaders discussed the nuclear talks launched …

Iranwire – Ebrahim Raisi has appointed Ansieh Khazali as his vice president for women and family affairs. She confirmed the news in a tweet, quoting a verse from the Quran in which Moses pleads with God: “O Lord! Expand my breast for me/… And loose the knot from my tongue,/ [That] they may understand my word.” Ansieh Khazal is a former president …

Al-Arabia – Israel has put more extensive plans in place for when it decides to “attack” Iran, Defense Force Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said on Monday. “We have greatly accelerated our preparations for activities in Iran,” Kochavi told Israeli news site Walla, adding that a considerable increase in the budget has been allocated to that purpose, with more intelligence …