Iranwire – Many Iranians, including activists and prisoners’ relatives, have expressed support behind the decision by dozens of political women incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin prison to launch a hunger strike this week to protest executions in the country. The hashtag #NoToExecution was trending among Iranian social media users after a message posted on the X account of jailed Nobel Peace …

VOA – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he and Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi agreed at a meeting on Wednesday on the need to avoid steps that could further threaten Middle East stability three months into the Gaza war. Turkey, which supports a two-state solution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has harshly criticized Israel for its attacks on Gaza, called …

VOA – Iran said Wednesday it is willing to help coup-hit Niger overcome international sanctions as Tehran seeks to reduce its isolation by bolstering ties with African countries. Iran’s first vice-president, Mohammad Mokhber, said his country condemns “the cruel sanctions that are imposed by the domination system,” in a meeting with Niger’s Prime Minister Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine. “We will …

iranintl – Pakistani lawmaker Mushahid Hussain Syed has suggested Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ cross-border airstrikes might have occurred without government knowledge.  Senator Hussain Syed, head of Pakistan’s Defense Committee, told Iran International that the attack seemed like a “deep state operation” to save face following a series of recent security breaches, the latest of which was twin blasts on the death anniversary of IRGC-Quds Force former …

Iranwire – Former President Hassan Rouhani has been banned from standing again in an election in March for the Assembly of Experts, a chamber of theologians that appoints the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and oversees his work, state media reported on January 24. Rouhani’s official website cited an unidentified official at the Guardian Council, a body that vets candidates in …

Iranwire – The US Office of the Special Envoy for Iran has strongly condemned this week’s “unjust” execution of a young Iranian man who was sentenced to death in connection with nationwide protests against the clerical establishment. Mohammad Ghobadlou, 23, was handed capital punishment for allegedly running over a police officer with his car and killing him during a protest …

Iranwire – Human Rights Watch (HRW) says at least 11 prisoners in Iran are at risk of imminent execution, including eight Kurds and two Baluch, as the authorities have recently “escalated executions at an alarming rate.” These prisoners “face the death penalty on political or security-related charges that under international law should never result in the death penalty, a grave …

Iranwire – The Iranian authorities arrested on January 23 two men who suffered eye injuries during the 2022 nationwide protests against the Islamic Republic’s leadership. A source close to Amir Velayati’s family said that he was taken to prison after being summoned to the Evin Prosecutor’s Office in Tehran, according to the HRANA human rights website. Meanwhile, the Hengaw news agency reported …

Iranwire – Two UN experts marked International Day of the Endangered Lawyer on January 24 with a statement hailing lawyers in Iran for their “brave commitment to the rule of law and their persistent efforts to exercise their profession independently and with integrity despite enormous obstacles and pressures.” At least 66 lawyers have been arrested and detained since nationwide protests …

VOA – The United States hit Iranian-backed targets in Iraq and Yemen in a span of about two hours early Wednesday morning, striking a militant headquarters in Iraq and knocking out more missiles in Yemen that were ready to launch into international shipping lanes, according to the U.S. military. U.S. military aircraft hit the Iranian-backed proxies in Iraq just after …