Iran-HRM – A Kurdish prisoner died under torture on September 23 at the Greater Tehran Penitentiary. The man was identified as 22-year-old Amirhossein Hatemi. He was from Ilam, western Iran, and residing in Tehran. An informed source said he was killed under severe beatings of batons to his head by the prison guards. The source said Amirhossein was working in …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s new foreign minister said Friday that Tehran will “very soon” resume its participation in talks aimed at reviving the 2015 nuclear deal. “The Islamic Republic of Iran will return to the table of negotiations. We are reviewing the Vienna negotiations files currently and, very soon, Iran’s negotiations with the ‘four plus one’ countries will recommence,” Foreign Minister Hossein …

RFL/RE – A senior U.S. official has expressed growing impatience at a lack of Iranian movement toward talks on reviving a moribund nuclear agreement with world powers and cited fears of a “Plan B” that keeps Tehran on a dangerous atomic path.But the unnamed official also said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had not attached any date to when …

Iranwire – An Iranian former kolbar has completed a 115km protest journey from Marivan to Sanandaj, Kurdistan province with the aid of a wheelchair. Kamran Doplurei, 31, who has two artificial legs, completed the trip on Wednesday, September 15. He embarked on the pilgrimage to raise awareness of three issues: the shooting of kolbars by Iranian border guards, sub-standard treatment of the …

Iranwire – In a surprising addition to his first address to the United Nations via a heavily-edited video this week, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took the opportunity to declare: “Iran is the medical hub of Asia”. “Iran,” he intoned, “alongside its peaceful nuclear and satellite science, is the medical hub of Asia, and Iranian physicians and scientists such as [medieval Persian polymath] Abu Ali …

Iranwire – The golden age of Clubhouse in Iran already seems to be behind us. Use of the video messaging app boomed in the run-up to the 13th presidential election this summer; at that time, Iranian chatrooms on Clubhouse were often filled to capacity with voices young and old discussing the country’s future. The filtering of Clubhouse was intermittently discussed by officials, but at first …

VOA – Iran is threatening to expand a bombing campaign targeting rebels in border villages of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, saying Iraqi Kurdish authorities must expel the rebels or the offensive will broaden.Since the beginning of September, Iran’s forces have been carrying out attacks using artillery and drone strikes on border villages accused of harboring Iranian Kurdish rebels. Tehran said …

Iran-HRM – A revolutionary court in Shiraz has sentenced two Baha’i citizens to prison and ban on leaving the country. Soroush Abadi and Kiana Shoja’i, Baha’i citizens living in Shiraz, were each sentenced by Branch 1 of the Revolutionary Court to 3 years and 3 months in prison and a 2-year ban from leaving the country. Baha’is are a religious …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s judiciary confirmed the death of Shahin Naseri in its custody. Naseri was known for his horrifying account of torture against executed wrestler and political prisoner Navid Afkari. On Thursday, two days after Naseri’s death was reported by activists, the head of Iran’s Prisons Organization issued a “special directive” for a probe into the case. In a separate statement circulated …

Al-Monitor – Iran has made further progress in direct talks with Saudi Arabia, an Iranian official said, after the Saudi king expressed optimism on Wednesday that the negotiations could build confidence between the regional rivals.  The two powerhouses severed relations in 2016 after Saudi Arabia’s execution of a prominent Shiite Muslim cleric was met with violent protests at Saudi diplomatic facilities …