Iranwire – Iran’s politicians who once hailed the resumption of diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia last year as a “government success” are now more skeptical.  This shift in perspective comes in the wake of the forced removal of Qassem Soleimani’s statues from a stadium and the resolute stance of one of the most influential countries in the Islamic world toward establishing relations …

RFL/RE – Sweden’s Foreign Ministry says a Swedish national was detained in Iran, the third of its citizens to be held in custody in the Middle Eastern country. The ministry said on January 15 that the person in custody is in his 20s and has been held since “the early days of January.” It gave no further details. Tehran has …

RFL/RE – The violent arrest of a woman over the weekend in western Tehran for her defiance of the mandatory hijab law and for resisting authorities as they impounded her vehicle has highlighted animosity over the government’s enforcement of the Islamic dress code. Video of the woman’s arrest, which has gone viral on social media in recent days, shows her …

VOA – Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they attacked the spy headquarters of Israel in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region, state media reported late on Monday, while the elite force said they also struck in Syria against the Islamic State. The strikes come amid concerns about the escalation of a conflict that has spread through the Middle East since the war between …

Iran-HRM – Iran judiciary has upheld the death sentences of ten political prisoners. The ten prisoners are awaiting the implementation of their sentences. The families of some of these prisoners held a sit-in outside the Evin Prison and demanded a halt to the execution of their loved ones. The names of these ten political prisoners are as follows. Mojahed Kourkouri, …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – At least six men were executed for drug-related charges in Karaj Penitentiary. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, at least six men were executed in Karaj Penitentiary on 14 January. Their identities have been established as Ahmad Latifi, Ali Akbar Moradian, Akbar Khoramtash, Hadi Nazari (right photo), Seyed Ali (Hojat) Miri (left photo) and Amirhossein Maleki. …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Reza Heidari, a man on death row for drug-related charges, was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Khorramabad Central Prison (Parsilion) on 13 January. His identity has been established as Reza Heidari. Informed sources told Iran Human Rights that Reza was arrested for …

Al-Arabia – Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi militia will persist in targeting “Israeli ships” in the Red Sea as long as Israel continues its war in Gaza, Tehran’s top diplomat said on Monday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaking at a press conference in Tehran alongside his Indian counterpart, said that stopping the “genocide” in Gaza was the only way to put an end to …

iranintl – After nearly 45 years of Ali Khamenei’s rule in Iran, the most important question for many is what will happen after his death, a smooth or a rocky transition. Contrary to what has been presented so far in the discussion on succession after Ali Khamenei, this article will not speculate about the time of his death, the identity …

iranintl – Iran-backed Houthis attempted to hit a US warship in the Red Sea on Sunday, but their missile was intercepted, according to the US military. This latest Houthi attack comes only a few days after the airstrikes by the US and Britain on dozens of Houthi sites in Yemen, signaling that the group, which claims to be acting in …