RFL/RE – Russian President Vladimir Putin met Mohammad Mokhber, the interim president of Iran, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana, on July 4. Moscow and Tehran have been negotiating a comprehensive bilateral cooperation agreement reflecting the “unprecedented upswing” in their bilateral ties, according to Russia’s Foreign Ministry.

VOA – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday urged voters to take part in Friday’s presidential election after a historically low first-round turnout. In the first round of Iran’s presidential election, only 40% of the country’s 61 million eligible voters participated, marking the lowest turnout since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Khamenei said although “participation was not as expected,” …

iranintl – A lawsuit filed in a US federal court on Monday by Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL), alleges Hamas could not have carried out the October 7 atrocities against Israel without the support of Iran, Syria and North Korea. The landmark litigation was filed on behalf of more than 100 victims of the Oct. 7 terrorist attack in Israel, which killed …

iranintl – An Iranian judicial official has issued a warning that Tehran will file “criminal cases” against anyone who “obstructs voting” in its presidential election at designated polling stations abroad. Kazem Gharibabadi, the Deputy of International Affairs of the Judiciary, announced on Wednesday that “criminal cases will be filed and pursued against any Iranian or non-Iranian person abroad who, through …

iranintl – Iran’s Supreme Leader admitted that the low participation rate in the first round of presidential elections on Friday was “less than expected” after a mass boycott of the polls. Ali Khamenei dismissed the idea that those abstaining are against the system. “Some people may dislike certain officials or even the Islamic system itself, just as they freely express …

iranintl – Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that Iran has developed a detailed strategy for the destruction of Israel relying on extensive missile and rocket attacks followed by ground assaults. “The Iranian regime has an orderly plan for the conventional destruction of the State of Israel,” said Smotrich speaking at a conference co-sponsored by the national-religious Makor Rishon newspaper …

Iranwire – The final debate of Iran’s presidential election quickly devolved into a heated exchange between candidates Masoud Pezeshkian and Saeed Jalili. While originally intended to focus on economic issues, the debate on Tuesday night swiftly expanded to encompass foreign policy, sanctions, and diplomatic incidents. “We are never going to lift all the sanctions or not. It is a dialogue …

Iranwire – Masoud Pezeshkian posed questions during the first one-on-one presidential debate that experts say can only be answered by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei himself. The debate, which took place on Monday, marked a significant shift in the tone of pre-election discussions in the Islamic Republic. Pezeshkian, known for his outspoken nature, pushed the boundaries of traditional political discourse by addressing issues …

Iranwire – Asef Souri, a Baluch singer from Khash city in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchistan province, was arrested by Iranian authorities on Monday. The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, a watchdog group monitoring human rights violations in Iran, reported the incident. According to sources close to the situation, Souri was apprehended on Saadi Street in Khash by government forces. Eyewitnesses said the …

RFL/RE – The wife of Ahmadreza Djalali, a Swedish-Iranian physician sentenced to death in Iran, said on July 2 that she was “devastated” after meeting Sweden’s foreign minister to discuss her husband’s case. Vida Mehrannia has strongly criticized the Swedish government for not including Djalali in a controversial prisoner swap deal with Iran last month. Get a curated digest of all our essential news, …