Al-Monitor – “We have inched to an agreement closer than ever,” Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told his British counterpart Liz Truss in a phone conversation on the status of the talks over the revival of the Iran nuclear deal. Amir-Abdollahian maintained that Iran is ready to sign a final deal if its “red lines” are minded. “What determines a good and …

Al-Arabia – An Iranian official said that 16 crew members have been rescued from a stricken United Arab Emirates ship that sank 30 miles from Iran’s Asaluyeh port while transporting cars, AFP and the official IRNA news agency reported on Thursday. Around 30 crew members were earlier reported to be in the water with life vests on awaiting rescue. Strong …

Iranwire – Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and Anousheh Ashouri have returned to the UK after years of captivity in Iran while fellow British citizen Morad Tahbaz has been released on furlough inside Iran. The chartered plane carrying the two dual nationals  touched down at RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire at about 1.10am local time on Thursday. News of their transfer to Imam Khomeini Airport was broken this morning by …

Iranwire – According to convention, the Shia faithful must follow a marja or “source of emulation” in religious matters. Ali Khamenei, who was swiftly named a marja after he became Supreme Leader of Iran, now regularly answers questions put to him by followers about fiqh or Islamic jurisprudence on his website. Recently the website of the Office of the Supreme Leader published a series of fresh responses, spelling …

Iranwire – On Tuesday, March 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed Moscow had indeed received “written guarantees” from Washington that fresh sanctions on Russia over Ukraine would not affect its future cooperation with Iran. It came in the wake of an abrupt demand for such guarantees issued by the Kremlin last week, which was read by many as a statement of …

VOA — As the war in Ukraine rages on, diplomats trying to salvage the languishing 2015 Iran nuclear deal have been forging ahead with negotiations despite distractions caused by the conflict. They now appear to be near the cusp of a deal that would bring the U.S. back into the accord and bring Iran back into compliance with limits on its …

HRW – People in Iran are confronting multiple crises. A sustained economic crisis has harmed the livelihoods of millions of Iranians, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Broad US economic sanctions have caused serious hardships for ordinary Iranians and threaten their right to health. At the center of Iranian residents’ struggles is an unaccountable and deeply repressive state. Iranian authorities ignore or punish …

Iranhr.net -We, the undersigned human rights and civil society organizations, are alarmed by Iranian parliament’s move to ratify the general outlines of the draconian “Regulatory System for Cyberspace Services Bill,” previously known as the “User Protection Bill” and referred to hereafter as “the Bill.” If passed, the Bill will violate an array of human rights of people in Iran, including …

Al-Monitor – Iran gained more than $2.7 million from nanotechnology sales in 2021, the official Islamic Republic News Agency reported Wednesday.  Nanotechnology refers to industrial production from atomic and molecule-sized matter. The field has several industrial and environmental benefits, but also has downsides, such as the possibility of creating toxic waste.  Among Iran’s nanotechnology products, 42% are related to construction, 17% are related to petroleum …

Shabtabnews – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) is appalled by the incalculable suffering already caused by Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, and warns that religious communities across Ukraine will likely be targeted with violence and oppression under any Russian influence. “We are horrified by Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, the senseless loss of life, and the lack …