Al-Monitor — On the left side of the frame stands a lonely man, clad in black. The scene is most probably a park, somewhere in the Iranian capital Tehran. Soon he is joined by a group of five men and ten women. At the center is a famous actress. No music, no props, no words. The black-clad crew stares boldly at the camera until the …

RFL/RE – A senior Sunni cleric in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan, who disclosed the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a local police commander, has been summoned to a special court for clerics. According to Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations of the Sunni minority in Iran, Molavi Abdul Ghaffar Naqshbandi was summoned to a court …

Al-Arabia – British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly on Monday said Britain would continue to respond with sanctions against Iran when its actions are unacceptable in an effort to steer the Islamic Republic in a better direction. “Our priority is to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, but in parallel to that we will continue to act, to respond when Iran’s …

Al-Arabia – German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Monday that executions carried out by Iran were an attempt to scare protesters, after Tehran publicly hanged a second detainee. “These executions are a blatant attempt to intimidate people, not for committing crimes but just for taking their opinions to the streets, just for wanting to live in freedom,” Baerbock said, just …

RFL/RE – Two well-known leaders of the Baha’i community in Iran who had already served decade-long prison terms have been handed new 10-year sentences, the Baha’i International Community (BIC) said. The BIC said in a statement released in Geneva on December 11 that the women, Mahvash Sabet Shahriari and Fariba Kamalabadi, received the additional sentences in “an unbelievable injustice” following an hour-long …

RFL/RE – Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said on December 11 that Iran’s Gulf Arab neighbors would act to shore up their security if Tehran were to obtain nuclear weapons. “If Iran gets an operational nuclear weapon, all bets are off,” Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said at the World Policy Conference in Abu Dhabi. “We are in a very …

Iranwire – In the wave of protests in Iran that started with the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini, the main targets of protesters in the streets and on social media have been the “ideological coefficients” of the Islamic Republic. But what is an “ideological coefficient”? In the newfangled literature about security, an “ideological coefficient” is a concept or a …

Iranwire – Xi Jinping’s visit to Saudi Arabia caused a shock for Iran. China unexpectedly stood with Saudi Arabia and the other Arab countries on two big issues. The Iranian regime, which is facing its lowest level of domestic legitimacy and international acceptance, seems to have lost China as well. *** The Chinese leader published a joint statement with the …

Iranwire – Armed Iranian security forces arrested a Tehran University theatre student today and transferred her to the notorious Evin prison. They violently raided the home of Mahdieh Suleimani, 22, and took her into custody without telling her the charges. Students have been at the forefront of protests sparked by the September death of a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – The Islamic Republic judiciary has announced the public execution of protester Majidreza Rahnavard in Mashhad, just 23 days after his arrest. He is the second protester to be executed in five days after the execution of Mohsen Shekari on December 8. Iran Human Rights condemns Majidreza Rahnavard’s execution in the strongest possible terms and repeats its call on …