Al-Monitor – Iran warned Monday that it would not extend a September deadline for Iraq to disarm and evacuate Iranian Kurdish opposition groups based in camps within Iraqi territory, calling their presence a “dark stain” on otherwise friendly relations and raising fears of further Iranian attacks. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kaanani said a Sept. 19 deadline set for disarming the groups would …

Al-Arabia – The United States should explain its links to the Iranian-German national Jamshid Sharmahd sentenced to death in Iran, Tehran’s foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday, adding that progress had been made in a prisoner swap deal with Washington. Nasser Kanaani’s remarks came after a US envoy for Iran, Abram Paley, met on Friday with the family of Sharmahd, who was convicted …

iranintl – Regime affiliated Tehran Times has published a “sensitive but unclassified” US government memo allegedly showing three violations of US national security protocols by suspended Iran envoy, Rob Malley. The document, purportedly from Erin Smart, Director of the State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Office of Personnel Security and Suitability, cites three reasons for Malley’s suspension: “Personal Conduct,” “Handling of Protected …

VOA – Authorities in Iran have begun legal proceedings against a prominent pop singer over his latest song urging women to take off their mandatory headscarves, the judiciary said Sunday. The action against Mehdi Yarrahi comes almost a year after the death in custody of Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini, 22, triggered months of protests around the country. Amini had been …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Iran Human Rights will be hosting the “Iran: Transitional Justice After the Islamic Republic” conference on 2 and 3 September 2023 in Oslo with the presence of experts, researchers and human rights defenders.  This is the third conference in a series organised by Iran Human Rights with the theme of “Iran in Transition.” The aim …

iranintl – Iran’s economy is facing significant medium-term internal and external risks, the World Bank’s Iran Economic Monitor (IEM) said in its latest report this month. While domestically, “there is a risk of escalating social tensions and strikes in manufacturing,” externally, Iran faces “the possibility of an even weaker global demand for oil, a sharper decline in oil prices, and …

iranintl – Opinion – On August 16, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken released a video address commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Bialystok Ghetto uprising. The secretary’s late stepfather, Samuel Pisar, participated in the revolt, which is marked as one of the most significant acts of Jewish resistance against Nazi Germans. The statement by a somber-looking Blinken referenced Jewish acts of “bravery” …

VOA – Iran’s enrichment of uranium continues based on a framework established by the country’s parliament, nuclear chief Mohammad Eslami said Sunday when asked about reports regarding Tehran slowing down its 60% enrichment. “Our nuclear enrichment continues based on the strategic framework law,” Eslami said, referring to a related legislation. Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported that Iran had significantly …

VOA – A minibus carrying mountaineers in Iran plunged into a ravine, killing 10 people, state media reported Saturday. The accident occurred Friday near the city of Varzaghan, in East Azerbaijan province, said the provincial emergency services spokesperson, Vahid Shadinia, according to state news agency IRNA. Varzaghan is 669 kilometers (416 miles) northwest of the Iranian capital, Tehran. The minibus …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The Syrian tragedy started with peaceful efforts by a large segment of the population to secure more individual freedoms, a curb on corruption, and better economic opportunities. All the current talk about normalization and reconstruction is a subterfuge to avoid the core geopolitical aspect of this tragedy created by conflicting visions of the future, not only of Syria …