iranintl – President Ebrahim Raisi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohamad Bagher Ghalibaf denied their differences during a meeting at the Iranian parliament earlier this week. Nonetheless, despite the denials, disputes between the media outlets affiliated with the two sides appear to be escalating. But power struggles is not limited to the executive and legislative leaders. There were indications in the latest …

VOA – An Iranian court has begun the trial of a Swedish national employed by the European Union who was detained last year, Sweden’s foreign minister said Saturday. “I have been informed that the trial of Johan Floderus has begun in Tehran,” Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom told Swedish news agency TT. “The Swedish charge d’affaires was at the court but …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Using terror operations on a small scale is an effective means of making life difficult for a much stronger opponent and may even force it to offer some concessions. But grand dramatic attacks such as 9/11 against the US, the Mumbai campaign and the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel raise the stakes to symphonic level that those …

gatestoneinstitute,org – Iran’s militia groups have initiated more than 82 attacks — just since October 17 — on US forces and assets in Syria and Iraq. The latest, on the US Embassy in Baghdad, is an attack on US sovereign territory. During Biden’s presidency, Iran has initiated 151 attacks against the US. Forty-six US service members have so far been wounded, 19 seriously, …

iranhr.net – Over a year after the start of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, the plight of Iranian human rights defenders continues to be a matter of grave concern, as they face imprisonment, persecution, and harsh sentences for their unwavering dedication to advancing fundamental human rights in Iran. This Iran Human Rights report presents profiles of more than 150 courageous …

iranintl – Iran-backed militias in Iraq and Syria launched 10 fresh attacks on US targets Friday, as Tehran uses its proxies in the region to pressure Washington. The militias have carried out more than 80 such attacks since mid-October, when Israel’s onslaught on Gaza began. But the Biden administration has largely avoided retaliation, drawing stark criticism from Congressional Republicans. “How …

iranintl – As two major corruption cases became the main headlines in Iran this week, the minister of economy blamed economic stagnation on “Trump’s sanctions.” Ehsan Khandouzi, speaking to university students, reluctantly admitted that successive administrations have mishandled the economy, but insisted that US sanctions imposed in 2018, wiped out economic growth and “led to today’s high inflation.” “The sanctions …

iranintl – The Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI) says use of pharmacological torture against political prisoners has increased alarmingly in the past year. The Canada-based non-profit has urged the international community to investigate this type of torture and deaths resulting from it in Iran. “The Islamic regime in Iran must be held accountable for its crimes against …

RFL/RE – The United States has imposed sanctions on dozens of people in several countries, including in Afghanistan, China, and Iran, cracking down on human rights abuses ahead of Human Rights Day on December 10. The U.S. Treasury Department in a statement on December 8 said it had imposed sanctions on 20 people over human rights abuses in nine countries. The actions …

RFL/RE – Prominent Iranian opposition figure Zahra Rahnavard says the government crackdown on students angry over a lack of freedoms and enforcement of rules such as a dress code is “unprecedented” but ultimately will fail to stifle the dissent. Rahnavard, who has been under house arrest for over 13 years along with her husband, Mir Hossein Musavi, made the comments in a …