iranintl – Israel has accused Iran of funneling tens of millions of dollars to Hezbollah through clandestine cash deliveries, lodging formal complaints with the US-led committee overseeing the cease-fire in Lebanon, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday. Iranian envoys have been flying into Beirut from Tehran with suitcases stuffed with US dollars to finance Hezbollah’s operations. Additionally, Israel has reported …

iranintl – A senior Iranian military commander says expanding drills are meant to showcase the country’s deterrence and defense capabilities, insisting that Iran has not grown weak, with more exercises planned soon as tensions with Israel continue. “These drills contribute to enhancing our combat readiness, demonstrating our national deterrence capabilities, and informing the public of our defensive strength,” Chief of …

iranintl – 35-year-old Iranian refugee Sina Rostami, who is detained in a Turkish deportation camp for not having proper documentation, is routinely awakened in the morning with the strike of a jailer’s baton. Sina is the portrait of the Iranian youth. Opposed to the theocratic establishment, he dreams of a better life in the West, but what he has experienced …

iranintl – An Iranian actress featured in a film recently nominated for an Academy Award has been barred from leaving Iran and faces propaganda and immorality charges, according to US entertainment news site Deadline. Soheila Golestani faces charges of propaganda against the Iranian government and promoting immorality due to her role in the film The Seed of the Sacred Fig, …

iranintl – An Iran Airtour flight set to fly from Tehran to Paris on Friday was canceled due to an objection by state carrier Iran Air over a commercial dispute, a source told Iran International. The spat blocked what would have been the first flight by an Iranian airline to Europe in nearly three months as sanctions on the country …

iranintl – Economist Ali Ghanbari has criticized opponents of Iran joining the money laundering watchdog, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), accusing them of benefiting from the country’s isolation. “Those who oppose Iran’s joining the Financial Action Task Force are profiteers of sanctions and Iran’s isolation and want to benefit from this isolation for themselves,” he told ISNA in an interview published on Thursday. …

iranintl – Canadian authorities have launched deportation proceedings against an Iranian woman they say was a senior member of the Iranian government, Global News reported on Thursday. According to the report, the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) requested a deportation hearing for Elham Zandi on January 7 under regulations targeting high-ranking officials from Iran, citing the country’s Immigration and Refugee …

Iranwire – Kazem Gharibabadi, the Islamic Republic’s top nuclear negotiator, finds himself in a position where he is violating Iran’s constitution on a daily basis. Despite being appointed Deputy for International Affairs at the Foreign Ministry in President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration, he has kept his role as deputy head of the Judiciary and a human rights official, holding both positions …

Iranwire – The Islamic Republic’s security forces in western Javanrud arrested two members of the Yarsan religious minority on Wednesday. Arslan Fatahi and Saman Safari, both residents of Gahwareh, were taken into custody by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Intelligence officers who did not present arrest warrants. While Fatahi was released after several hours in temporary detention, Safari remains in …

Iranwire – Iran’s Ministry of Health has established a special committee to investigate an alarming rise in suicides among medical residents and students. The committee requires medical university presidents and educational deputies to implement “necessary, continuous, and close measures” to prevent student suicides. While the ministry report does not provide specific suicide statistics, data from the Tehran University Medical Association …