VOA – A statue erected to honor slain Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani has been torched by unknown assailants hours after it was unveiled, Iranian media reported Thursday. Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was killed on January 3, 2020 in Iraq in a US drone strike at Baghdad airport along with his …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – The Iranian Writers’ Association (IWA) issued a statement holding the Islamic Republic government directly responsible for the life of filmmaker, poet and IWA member, Baktash Abtin, who is in a medically induced coma after being denied timely medical treatment for COVID-19. Human rights defender Baktash Abtin contracted COVID-19 for the second time in early December …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Mohammad Salarzehi, a Baluch man sentenced to death on drug-related charges, was executed in Shiraz Central Prison. According to Resanak, a Baluch man was executed on the morning of January 2. His identity has been reported as Zahedan-native, Mohammad Salarzehi, who had been sentenced to death for drug-related offences. He was arrested two years ago …

Al-Monitor – An Arab diplomat who spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity warned that for every day the talks aimed at reviving the Iran nuclear deal drag on, Tehran’s nuclear program advances. “Iranians are buying valuable time so that they get to the point of no return,” the diplomat said. Iran and world powers kicked off the latest round …

Al-Monitor – The spokesman for Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said last week’s military drills in his country sent a message to Israel and made it end its war threats against the Islamic Republic. “The Zionists [Israeli government] were under the impression that they were capable of neutralizing some of our ballistic missiles,” Ramezan Sharif told the state-run Arabic language …

Iranwire – Canada, Britain, Sweden and Ukraine on Thursday said they had abandoned efforts to talk to Tehran about reparations for an airliner downed by Iran and would try to settle the matter according to international law. Most of the 176 people killed when Iran shot down the Ukrainian jet in January 2020 were citizens from those four countries, which …

Iranwire -In the last two weeks, the Iranian Football Federation has sent a handful of female journalists to Azadi Stadium in Tehran to cover Pro League matches. In no other city in Iran are women journalists or photographers allowed to attend. Simultaneously, Tabnak reports that in the coming days, the Federation will launch a special ticket sales system just for women. These …

Iranwire – This week the Islamic Republic of Iran observed the second anniversary of the US killing of Ghasem Soleimani, commander of the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds Force. A reported 10,000 events have taken place across the country, with tributes paid in the media, on state TV, in commemorative films and publications, and in cyberspace. Those who had known the general in seemingly …

Iranwire – In Iran, internet speeds have dropped dramatically over the past month, while access to Virtual Proxy Networks (VPNs) and open social networks including Twitter and Telegram has become more difficult –  prompting criticism and protest campaigns, shared extensively on social media. It follows alarm over the “User Protection Bill”, due to be tabled before Iranian parliament in March 2022. Proponents of the bill argue …

Iranwire – This week it emerged that in her first week at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, senior official Maryam Kazemipour has blocked women’s participation in “bodybuilding-related activities”. Previously the decision was attributed to Mohammad Tabatabaei, director-general of sports for Isfahan province, but a newly-published document showed otherwise. The directive from Kazemipour ordered the activities of all Iranian women …