RFL/RE – Iranian police have arrested the leader and four other members of a suspected espionage network that Tehran says has links to Israeli intelligence services. The announcement was made in a statement on July 28 by the counterespionage organization of Iran’s law enforcement unit.In the statement, published by the semiofficial Iranian Labor News Agency (ILNA), authorities say the members …

RFL/RE – Iran welcomes diplomatic efforts to resolve its nuclear dispute with world powers, state media quoted the Iranian foreign minister as saying a day after the European Union’s top diplomat proposed a new draft text to revive a 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on July 27 that Iran …

RFL/RE – Jailed Iranian activist Farhad Meysami faces new charges over his criticism and hunger strike to protest against the threatened execution of Swedish-Iranian doctor Ahmedreza Djalali. Mohammad Moghimi, Meysami’s lawyer, told Radio Farda that his client refused to participate in a meeting over the case because he had not been given proper notification. Meysami, a medical doctor, has been …

Iranwire – Security forces have descended on the family home of a young man killed in Iran’s November 2019 protests, beating his relatives and taking his younger brother into custody. The raid on Wednesday is understood to have been aimed at Farzaneh Ansarifar, the sister of Farzad Ansarifar, who was shot in the back of the head with a Kalashnikov in Behbahan, …

Iranwire – Detained LGBT+ rights advocate Zahra Sedighi-Hamedani, known online as Sareh, has been ordered to pay a fine of 5.3 million tomans for “illegally leaving the country”. The young blogger was arrested by the Revolutionary Guards on the Turkish border last year. She had previously lived and worked in Iraqi Kurdistan, and was jailed there for 20 days after …

Iranwire – Family members of Iran-Iraq war veterans detained for taking part in peaceful rallies have staged a days-long sit-in in front of Evin Prison to demand their release. The men in custody are all understood to have taken part in recent demonstrations organized by pensioners and retirees in Iran. The participants’ payments are now woefully behind inflation and they have held …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Gholam Nourzehi, a Baluch man, Afghan-national Jomeh Barakzehi and Mohammad Izadi were executed in Isfahan Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, two men were executed in Isfahan Central Prison on July 26. Their identities have been established as 40-year-old Gholam Nourzehi, a Baluch man living in Isfahan and 38-year-old Jomeh Barakzehi, …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Sarajolhagh Sedighi, a Pakistani national who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for “participation in murder,” was executed in Shiraz Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a Pakistani man was executed in Shiraz Central Prison on July 24. His identity has been established as 45-year-old Sarajolhagh Sedighi who was sentenced to qisas for “participation in murder.” …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has expressed support for the country’s enforcement of strict hijab laws.  Speaking about the issues of women and hijab in televised remarks today, Khamenei said, “These issues were present at the beginning of the Islamic Revolution as well, and lately, with using hijab as an excuse, the failed attempt is being repeated.” He continued, …

Shabtabnews – The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) today released a new report titled “Religious Propaganda in Iran.” Religious Propaganda in Iran – This report details efforts by Iran’s government to spread misinformation and cultivate derogatory public opinion about religious minorities. The report identifies major traditional and social media outlets responsible for disseminating this messaging, and reviews the …