Iran’s parliament passed legislation on December 15 to raise teachers’ salaries following several days of countrywide protests and a strike that impacted the Islamic republic’s education system.The legislation had initially obtained emergency approval on December 14 following a three-day strike by thousands of teachers and educators that culminated with hundreds of demonstrators gathering in front of the parliament building in Tehran on …

Iranwire – A former MP has told IranWire that more than 80 bodyguards, members of the Ansar al-Mahdi Security Corps, and their relatives, family members and colleagues have been detained and interrogated since the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last winter. Hamed Asghari, the head of Fakhrizadeh’s security detail, was temporarily suspended and not spared from questioning. Before his assassination outside Tehran on …

Iran-HRM – A prisoner died on November 30, after being denied adequate medical treatment in a prison in Ilam, western Iran. Ruhollah Maleki, 30, was on the fourth day of his hunger strike that day when he was taken to prison hospital after attempting to commit suicide by taking pills. His physical condition was serious but he was returned to …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) –  The suppression of human rights defenders (HRDs) has continued with greater intensity by the Islamic Republic authorities in 2021. This report provides a brief account of over 100 human rights defenders in Iran. While this list may seem extensive, they only represent a fraction of human rights defenders who have faced rights breaches. Defenders who …

Al-Monitor – While focusing on the Iranian nuclear program and talks in Vienna, Israel is also keeping a watchful eye on developments in Syria. On Dec. 14, the Washington Post revealed that Israel had allegedly carried out last June an unusual aerial attack, deep inside Syrian territory. According to the report, Israeli jets fired missiles at three Syrian military targets near the central …

Al-Monitor – Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency have agreed to reinstall cameras at the Karaj nuclear facility that had been destroyed. The cameras at Karaj nuclear facility were one of the main points of contention between Iran and the IAEA, and IAEA director Rafael Grossi made two trips in recent months to resolve the matter. In June, a sabotage attack on the …

RFL/RE – Three European powers said on December 14 that talks with Iran to revive the 2015 nuclear deal are “rapidly reaching the end of the road,” while Tehran accused Western powers of playing a “blame game.”The comments suggest talks between Iran and the remaining parties to the agreement — Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia – are nearing collapse …

Iranwire – Mitra Bandi Amirabadi and Hiva Yazdan Mehdiabadi, two Baha’i citizens living in Yazd, were detained at their homes and transferred to Yazd Prison to serve eight-month sentences. HRANA News Agency reported that the two Baha’is were arrested on December 13, 2021. The two were first arrested in June 2020 and held for three months in the Yazd Intelligence Detention …

Iranwire – This week, two separate, telling statements were issued by the Iranian judiciary and an MP within 48 hours of each other. First, the Islamic Republic has imprisoned a female journalist named Mahtab Gholizadeh for “inciting corruption by trying to enter the [football] stadium”, “conspiracy against national security” and “propaganda against the regime”. Second, in an interview with the IRGC-aligned Tasnim …

Iranwire – Tens of thousands of Iranian teachers joined a third day of nationwide protests on Monday following a rallying call from trade unions. Security forces attacked some of those present in front of the parliament building in Tehran and at other locations such as Sari, Mazandaran. Videos posted on social media showed uniformed officers trying to arrest demonstrators, prompting …