Al-Monitor – After a chain of deadly attacks inside Israel, commander of Iran’s Quds Force Esmail Ghaani declared that Tehran will support any group fighting Israel. “We have made it clear to the occupying Zionist regime that any group fighting it will have our blessing,” the hard-line commander added, praising new generations of “Palestinian youths who have shaken the occupied territories.” Several Israeli …

AL-Arabia – Iranian networks have been working to smuggle weapons from Iraq to Russia as Moscow’s plans to quickly invade Ukraine’s capital and topple the government failed to succeed, according to intelligence and sources familiar with the matter. Among the weapons being transferred to Russia are Iran’s Bavar 373 missile system, the Guardian reported late Monday night. Iraq’s Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Iran’s efforts to conclude a revised nuclear deal with the Biden administration could result in the Kremlin receiving a windfall of half-a-billion dollars to fund its war effort against Ukraine. To boost its economy, Russia is now demanding that Iran pay in cash for the deals currently under discussion, as well as repaying outstanding debts believed to be …

RFL/RE – A report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog says Iran is starting to operate a new workshop at its Natanz nuclear facility that will make parts for uranium-enriching centrifuges with machines recently moved there from its Karaj facility. “On April 12, the agency completed the installation of the surveillance cameras at this location and then removed the seals from …

RFL/RE – Prices of pharmaceutical drugs have skyrocketed in Iran amid plans by the cash-strapped government to cut a major subsidy. Since the government of ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi first announced its plans in September, the cost of some essential drugs has more than quadrupled. Prices are likely to surge further when the government officially cuts the subsidy, a prospect …

Iranwire – The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran has praised violence against Israelis as the “awakening” of young Palestinians. On the evening of Tuesday, April 12, Khamenei was quoted by Iranian media as having eulogized on what he called “the vigilance, the enthusiasm and the endeavors of young Palestinians in the heart of the 1948 occupied territories.” …

Iranwire – A note to readers: This article contains graphic descriptions of domestic violence. It also includes a call to action. Please see the final lines for details. Parisa Rajabi is a refugee who fled domestic violence in Iran and has been based in Turkey with her child for the last seven years. Now, the Turkish government has rejected her …

Iranwire – Arsalan Yazdani, an Iranian Baha’i who was arrested and held for 45 days over his faith last year, reports that security forces have now taken his mother, Saeedeh Khozouei, to an unknown location. Writing on Instagram, Yazdani said Khozouei was detained on April 11 at Evin Courthouse, where she had duly appeared in answer to a summons that had not …

Iran-HRM – A Kurd man has suspiciously died in at Investigation Unit of Iran’s police (Agahi), Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported today. According to the report, Milad Jafari, 25, had been arrested on drug-related charges on April 7. A relative of Milad Jafari told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network that he and a friend were violently detained by intelligence agents …

Iran-HRM – Mahsa Kamali, a member of the Iranian women’s national futsal team was eliminated from the national team for showing her support for Ukraine by wearing a “Stop War” shirt. She was earlier summoned to the disciplinary committee for declaring her opposition to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine. Speaking with the state-run IRNA news agency, Kamali said that when …