Iranwire – Islamic Republic officials have cut the telephone access of incarcerated singer Toomaj Salehi after he called for an elections boycott.  “After Toomaj Salehi’s message regarding the election boycott and ongoing harassment, and in continued violation of his rights, his phone calls were abruptly terminated under orders from the Ministry of Intelligence,” Salehi’s social media accounts, managed by his …

Iranwire – An Iranian military conscript took his own life by gunshot on February 29 amid a surge in suicides among Iranian military personnel. Behnam Jafarizadeh, the revolutionary prosecutor of Bam city in the southeastern city of Kerman province, reported that the conscript was serving in the city’s judiciary office.  “After being granted a few hours of leave, the soldier …

Iranwire – A member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was killed in an airstrike in the Syrian city of Banyas. The killed IRGC officer was named as Reza Zarei. Iran’s Daneshjoo news agency attributed the attack to Israel. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported three explosions targeting a villa believed to be housing an Iranian-affiliated …

gatestoneinstitute.org – What is essential to remember is that the Houthis and other proxies of Iran are in all likelihood deeply apprehensive about the prospect of their senior leadership being targeted. By refraining from targeting Houthi leaders, the United States has inadvertently emboldened the group and allowed them to act with impunity. Pictured: Houthi gunmen trample a US flag in …

iranintl – The screening of Nobel Peace Laureate Narges Mohammadi’s documentary in Oslo on Wednesday once again underscored the prevalent use of solitary confinement in Iranian prisons. Titled “White Torture,” the documentary, showcased at an event organized by the Nobel Foundation, illuminated the isolation techniques employed in Iranian prisons to break prisoners and highlights the plight of political detainees enduring …

iranintl – The tiny Jewish community in Tehran is facing intense pressure from the clerical regime to mobilize its members to vote on Friday in the parliamentary elections. Iran’s regime launched a high-intensity campaign to stop boycotts of the parliament and Assembly of Experts elections. Tehran-born Ben Sabti, an expert on Iranian Jews from the Israeli National Security and Strategy Institute, told Iran …

iranintl – Two candidates vying for the Assembly of Experts election in Tehran suggest that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei opposes the notion of naming his son, Mojtaba, as his successor. However, the timing and context of these statements on Wednesday, just two days before the March 1 elections, raise questions about their authenticity and purpose. For many years, Iranians and …

Iranwire – Iran’s elections were marred by sporadic violence and reports of pressure or voter intimidation against individuals boycotting the polls.  News agencies reported a “failed assassination attempt” on a high-ranking cleric, Alireza Hasani, the Friday prayer Leader of central Meybod city, by an individual with unknown motives. The attacker, wielding a “sharp object,” was apprehended by worshippers. 🎞️ #Iran‘s elections …

Iranwire – The atmosphere at polling stations in the Kurdish hometown of Mahsa Amini during Friday’s election was eerily quiet, IranWire witnesses reported.  In some areas, the number of votes cast barely exceeded 50 ballots by the afternoon, highlighting a notable lack of enthusiasm among voters. Fraud and vote-buying were also reported in Saqqez, including cases where officials used people’s …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have sentenced singer Shervin Hajipour, a vocal supporter of the Woman, Life, Freedom movement, to three years and eight months in prison. He is charged with “propaganda activities against the Islamic Republic” and “inciting people to riot.”  Hajipour announced the verdict in an Instagram post on March 1, also revealing a two-year ban on leaving the country.  …