telegraph.co.uk – US says the Government can play a key diplomatic role with Tehran but this would be undermined if Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is outlawed. Joe Biden’s diplomats are pressing the UK Government not to formally declare Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist group, despite the Home Office backing the move, The Telegraph has been told. The US State Department has argued that …

Al-Arabia – Iran on Thursday directly acknowledged an accusation attributed to international inspectors that it enriched uranium to 84 percent purity for the first time, which would put the Islamic Republic closer than ever to weapons-grade material. The acknowledgement by a news website linked to the highest reaches of Iran’s theocracy renews pressure on the West to address Tehran’s program, …

RFL/RE – A sudden hike in the price of red meat has triggered widespread public anger in Iran, where the troubled economy has sunk to new lows. The authorities have responded to the criticism by playing down the price hike and cracking down on a Tehran newspaper that ran a story critical of the government.Commodity prices have risen sharply in …

Iranwire – The Iranian Ministry of Intelligence has recently sent a text message to citizens warning them over the Israeli intelligence agency’s “terrorist” activities in the country, social media users reported on February 22. The message claimed that Mossad was exploiting people’s “lack of information and awareness” to offer them cash in return for parking a vehicle at a designated …

Iranwire – In our “Did You Know?” series of articles, IranWire collects, analyses and compares reliable data to produce illuminating infographics on current events in Iran. *** Link Did you know that inflation in Iran has reached a record high? Inflation in Iran has been on the rise for a while, and the latest figures from the country’s Statistics Center …

Iranwire – Saleh Mohammadi, a 31-year-old nature enthusiast from Tehran, was severely beaten and arrested by security forces during anti-government protests in September. Mohammadi spent a total of 136 days in pre-trial detention during which his jailers tried to coerce him into giving a “confession” about crimes he did not commit, a practice routinely used by Iranian authorities. He is …

Al-Monitor — Days before Russia mounted its invasion of Ukraine, speculation was high that a deal to restore Iran’s nuclear agreement could be within reach.  “We are nearing the end,” Enrique Mora, the European Union coordinator for the nuclear talks, tweeted a year ago today. Russia’s envoy, Mikhail Ulyanov, said that negotiations to revive the landmark pact were “about to cross the finish line.” As key …

Al-Arabia – A rocket attack in Damascus on Sunday that Syria blamed on Israel hit an installation where Iranian officials were meeting to advance programs to develop drone or missile capabilities of Tehran’s allies in Syria, sources told Reuters. Iran has been a major backer of President Bashar al-Assad during Syria’s nearly 12-year conflict. Its support for Damascus and the …

RFL/RE – In late September, Pedram Azarnush was taking part in an anti-regime protest in southwestern Iran when he was shot dead. Nearly five months on, the 17-year-old’s family is still seeking justice. In their attempts to bring the perpetrators to account, the family has endured constant threats and intimidation from the authorities, informed sources told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda.Azarnush is …

RFL/RE – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty President and Chief Executive Office Jamie Fly is one of more than two dozen people and entities to have been added to Iran’s sanctions list in response to new measures taken by the European Union and the United Kingdom against Tehran. Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued on February 21 that the sanctions ban those on …