Iranwire – The United States and United Kingdom have sanctioned a deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and a member of Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebel group. Mohammad Reza Falahzadeh, deputy commander of the IRGC’s expeditionary Quds force, and Houthi militant member Ibrahim al-Nashiri were designated under the sanctions. The US also sanctioned companies registered in Hong Kong …

Iranwire – Iranian security forces beat a female student on February 26 at Tehran Azad University’s main campus, IranWire has learned.  IranWire obtained a video capturing the cries of the beaten student held inside a room, while individuals in plainclothes appear to stand guard, instructing others to leave.  A female security officer can also be heard dispersing protesting students. Credible …

Iranwire – Four crew members of a ship that US officials say was carrying Iranian weapons destined for Yemen’s Tehran-backed Houthi rebels are scheduled to appear on February 27 before a federal court in Virginia. At the detention hearing, prosecutors are expected to argue the defendants should be held without bond while awaiting trial, according to the Associated Press news …

RFL/RE – As Iran heads to the polls on March 1, there is a common thread running through many messages from ordinary Iranians. The elections will usher in a new parliament and Assembly of Experts, a body that picks the country’s supreme leader. But in dozens of audio and written messages sent to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda from inside Iran, many …

VOA – The Voice of America’s acting director has denounced Iran for convicting a number of VOA Persian journalists in absentia for the alleged crime of spreading antigovernment propaganda. The convictions came to light last week, when hacking group Edaalat Ali published Iranian judiciary documents showing that a Tehran Revolutionary Court handed guilty verdicts to dozens of Persian journalists from …

Al-Arabia – The UN nuclear watchdog has voiced growing concern over Iran’s ability to build nuclear weapons, fueled by public statements in the country, a confidential report seen by AFP on Monday said. Tensions between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have repeatedly flared up since a 2015 deal curbing Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief …

Al-Arabia – The identity of Iran’s next supreme leader must remain secret in order to protect him from assassination attempts by the United States and Israel, a senior Iranian cleric said in remarks published on Monday. Mohammad-Ali Mousavi-Jazayeri, a member of Iran’s Assembly of Experts, said in an interview with the Iran-based Didban Iran website that any perceived candidate for the position …

iranintl – Data from the Statistical Center of Iran shows that the country’s GDP growth has been slowing, while remaining growth is fueled by higher government spending and more oil production. According to the Statistical Center’s data, released on February 24, Iran’s GDP growth stood at 5.1 percent in autumn (4Q2023). This is the second consecutive quarter that the country’s …

iranintl – The United Nations’ fact-finding mission, set up in December 2022 following Iran’s bloody crackdown on protesters, will release its comprehensive report on March 18. The mission is also scheduled to release its preliminary report on the International Day of Women (March 8). In his address to the 55th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in …

iranintl – Iran has diluted some of its near weapons-grade uranium for the first time, but its total stock of nuclear material stands at 27 times the limit agreed in the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal. Two confidential reports by the UN nuclear watchdog, sent to member states on Monday, paint an overall bleak picture of Iran’s nuclear program with persisting …