Iranwire – Gold sellers in Tehran and Tabriz downed their shutters for the past two days in protest against a new tax law passed by Iran’s parliament. The strike targets amendments to the “Capital Income Tax” law. The changes in the law aim to get approval from the Guardian Council, after which they will be implemented soon. The tax plan …

RFL/RE – Imprisoned Islamic scholar and civil activist Sedigheh Vasmaghi has been released on bail amid concerns over her deteriorating health after she was moved to a hospital from Tehran’s notorious Evin prison earlier this month. Her release was reported on April 29 by the Emtadad Telegram channel, which said her state of health had worsened. The news was confirmed by a …

RFL/RE – A group of former prisoners who were once detained in Iran have slammed the Swedish government, saying it had failed to take enough action to secure the release of Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian physician facing the death penalty in Iran. The 15 signatories of the letter, including prominent figures such as Barry Rosen and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, said the Swedish government’s …

iranintl – The price of lamb in Iran has increased by around 60% in the past 12 months as basic food items continue to become beyond the reach of the average family. According to Dideban-e Iran news website, the price per kilo has doubled in the last year to 6,200,000 rials ($11). Afshin Sadr-Dadras, the CEO of Iran’s Central Union of Livestock, announced in …

iranintl – Pro-Palestinian student protests in the US are making headlines in Iran, as the regime and its media continue to bet on political trouble overseas to make up for lost legitimacy at home. The ongoing encampments on campuses across the US have featured on the cover pages of many Iranian dailies in the past few days, triggering a considerable …

iranintl – In recent days, politicians and academics in Iran have continued to highlight inefficiency, mismanagement, and negligence in President Ebrahim Raisi’s government. Some politicians such as pro-Ahmadinejad lawmaker Ahmad Alirezabeigi who cannot believe the scale of chaos in the Raisi administration are adamant that there are infiltrators in the administration who sabotage government’s initiatives. Others see the root of the problem …

RFL/RE – The Iranian military on April 28 presented a new attack drone designed to fly into targets and explode, like the kind used by Russia in the war in Ukraine. According to the state Tasnim news agency, the new Iranian drone — which has not yet been publicly named — is similar to the Russian Zala Lancet drone, which …

Iranwire – Ordinary people are bearing the brunt of escalating tensions between the Islamic Republic and Israel. “Fearing being labelled as spies, we gather information about the condition of children in Israel through various intermediaries. “Even a simple greeting to friends and family must undergo several layers of obfuscation before reaching its intended recipient, ensuring that it remains unknown that …

Iranwire – More than 2,000 Iranian workers lost their lives due to work-related incidents last year, officials have said. Ali Ziaei, head of the crime scene investigation group at Iran’s Forensic Medicine Organization, reported 2,115 work-related fatalities in the past year. This represents an alarming 11.3 percent increase compared to the previous year. “Falls from height” were the leading cause …

Iranwire – Authorities of the Islamic Republic executed four more prisoners over the weekend as death penalties continue to rise in the country. The Iran Human Rights Organization reported that three inmates were executed on April 27 in Tabriz Prison for drug-related offenses. The inmates were identified as Amir Moharrami, 36, Davoud Namyari, 33, and Sohrab Hokmabad.  Mohammadi was convicted two …