Al-Arabia – Iran will not “abandon” the case of the killing of its top commander Qassem Soleimani by the US until those responsible for his death are “punished,” a top judicial official said earlier this week. Iran’s Prosecutor-General Mohammad-Jafar Montazeri said that Tehran will not “abandon” the case even if it takes “years.” “I assure you that we will not …

Iranwire – Close to 4,000 Iranian doctors applied for a Certificate of Good Standing in order to emigrate to and work in other countries last year, a spokesman for the Iranian Medical System Association has said. Dr. Reza Laripour, a clinician, vice-chancellor at the military’s AJA University of Medical Sciences and the Association’s head of PR, told reporters on Monday …

Iranwire – The Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful in most Islamic countries keep a fast each day from dawn to dusk, began this year on Sunday, April 3. The very next day in Iran’s Lorestan province, it was reported that several businesses had been closed, and a handful of people arrested, for violating domestic fasting laws. Colonel …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wants more Iranians to memorize the Quran.  “We should be able to train 10 million Iranian people who have memorized the #Quran,” Khameini tweeted today in a reference to the Islamic holy book.  A hafiz or hafiza refers to a Muslim man or woman, respectively, who has memorized the Quran. Being a hafiz or hafiza …

RFL/RE – Iran says the United States is to blame for a delay in continuing talks to finalize a nuclear deal with world powers that is “very much within reach.” Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on April 4 that Tehran “won’t wait forever” after several last-minute snags threatened to derail months of efforts to revive the 2015 agreement, which …

gatestoneinstitute.org – “For China… the Ukrainian crisis provided a unique opportunity to increase its access to Russia’s natural resources, particularly gas, gain contracts for infrastructure projects and new markets for Chinese technology, and turn Russia into a junior partner in the relationship between the two countries.” — Report by the European Council on Foreign Relations, February 2015. In addition to …

Iranwire – On Friday, April 1, UN Human Rights Council renewed the mandate of Javaid Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, despite vocal opposition by the Islamic Republic. Rehman has never been allowed to visit Iran and Iranian government representatives have met him on just a handful of occasions outside the country. The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body …

Iranwire – The 2022 World Cup draw on Friday put Iran’s national football team in what was described as the most politically charged group of the contest. Team Melli will be up against England and the USA, as well as the winner of the European playoffs – which could be Ukraine. Iranian football is already deeply politicized, from club ownership …

Iran-HRM – Saeed Afkari, the outspoken brother to executed protester and wrestling champion Navid Afkari wrote his brother Vahid was attacked in prison and has a broken hand, and his family was shot outside prison when they protested. He wrote on his twitter on April 3, that the regime security forces opened fire on his family while they had gone …

Al-Arabia – Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said Sunday an agreement is “close” in paused negotiations to restore the 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers. Iran has been engaged in negotiations to revive the deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with France, Germany, Britain, Russia and China directly, and the United States indirectly. …