Al-Monitor – Iran’s defense minister said his country has developed “ramjet” engines, the key component to supersonic cruise missiles.   Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Ashtiani told a crowd of worshipers in Tehran on Friday that the Iranian defense ministry is now capable of mass producing the engine, which can boost a cruise missile’s speed to five times the sound of speed.   The …

RFL/RE – Iranian police have accused 12 women’s rights activists arrested earlier this week of “acting against national security” by planning and coordinating events ahead of the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, who died while in police custody, sparking a year of nationwide unrest. The police commander of Gilan Province and the Gilan Intelligence Department accused the activists of “communicating …

Iranwire – It has been almost a year since the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement started with unprecedented nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the Islamic Republic’s morality police.  Since then, we have witnessed fundamental changes in the demands of Iranian society, the methods of struggle and the relationship between the people and the government. …

Iranwire – Dozens of mostly women staged two rallies in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz in recent days to protest the shrinking of Lake Urmia, one of the world’s largest salt lakes.  The first protests took place in front of the Natural Resources Department in Tabriz on August 12, and the second was held two days later outside the …

Iranwire – A professor in Tehran who expressed support for student protests says he has been sacked from his post at Allameh University amid an intensifying clampdown on critical voices in Iran.  “I am Mahdi Khoei, a sociology professor at Allameh University who has never compromised his values and has been unwavering in his dedication to both students and the …

Iranwire – Branch 37 of the Court of Appeals of Fars province has upheld the initial sentence against Hoshidar Zarei, a Baha’i resident of Shiraz and a provincial judo champion. In July, the Shiraz Revolutionary Court issued a one-year prison sentence for Zarei on the charge of “propaganda activity” against the Islamic Republic and five years for “engaging in activities …

Iran-HRM – Maryam Abbasi-Nikoo is the mother of Bita Shafii, a student who protested the poisoning of students. On June 26, 2023, security forces raided their home and, upon realizing that Bita was not present, physically assaulted her father and detained her mother, Maryam Abbasi-Nikou, in place of her daughter. Now, after 52 days of uncertainty in prison and being …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The Biden Administration has destabilized the Middle East, launched a potential international nuclear arms race, incentivized global terrorism, increased American taxpayers’ funding both sides of the Ukraine war, crushed even further a people fighting for their freedom and appeased yet another rogue regime — after Afghanistan, China and Venezuela – this time one that the US State Department …

Al-Monitor — A group of Republican senators say unfreezing billions of dollars in Iranian assets to secure the release of five Americans sets a bad precedent and will only encourage more hostage-taking, even as the Biden administration says the unlocked funds could be used only for humanitarian purposes.    The mounting congressional criticism of the deal announced last week could complicate an already …

iranintl – Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei has praised the Revolutionary Guard while their loyalty and power to quash dissent will be put to test once again during possible protests. In a meeting with a group of senior IRGC officers and Basij paramilitary leaders on Thursday, Khamenei described the Revolutionary Guard as “the largest counter-terrorist organization in the world,” while international calls to designate the group as a terrorist outfit have been echoing across the political …