May, 2024

• 9 May

  Top US University Playing Along in Iran’s Soft War

  

  iranintl – Princeton University has been trying for more than a decade to place itself at the center of US-Iran diplomacy, a new Semafor report has revealed, offering an academic position to a former high-ranking Tehran official. The university has also liaised with IRGC-connected diplomats for student exchange programs, only to see two of its graduate students detained or kidnapped …

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• 9 May

  Iran to Change Nuclear Doctrine if Sites Attacked, Says Official

  

  iranintl – Iran will alter its nuclear doctrine if Israel threatens its nuclear facilities or its existence, an advisor to the country’s ruler said Thursday, in a second similar threat in less than a month. “If they dare to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, our level of deterrence will change. We have experienced deterrence at the conventional level so far. If …

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• 9 May

  IRGC Uses Swedish-Iranian University Ties for Military Gains, NGO Warns

  

  iranintl – Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards are exploiting partnerships between Swedish and Iranian universities to acquire research and technology for their military programs, according to a new investigation by a US-based NGO. Unbeknownst to Swedish authorities, United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) says the IRGC has full access “to all collaborative work product between Iranian universities and their international academic partners”. …

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• 9 May

  Canada Inches Closer to Designating IRGC as a Terrorist Entity

  

  iranintl – The Canadian House of Commons on Wednesday unanimously adopted a Report to designate Iran’s IRGC as a terrorist entity and expel about 700 Iranian agents operating in Canada. The constitutional weight of the adoption of the report cannot be exaggerated for it is non-binding for the government and the government could very well never re-introduce any bill for …

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• 9 May

  Iranian Doctor Arrested for Protesting Execution of Political Prisoners

  

  Iranwire – Dr Mehrshad Kalini, a pediatrician based in the Lordegan city of Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari province, has been arrested by security forces for protesting against death sentences handed to political prisoners. According to media reports, Dr Kalini had raised a placard in front of the mayor’s office in Lordegan to protest the death sentences handed to Mahmoud Mehrabi and Khosrow Besharat. He was arrested on …

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• 9 May

  Prisoners Continue Their Hunger Strike on the 15th Week of “No to Execution” Campaign

  

  Iranwire – Since April 20, at least 80 prisoners in Iran who had been sentenced to death have been executed in prisons across the country. Last week, the judiciary of the Islamic Republic silently executed Anwar Khezri, a Kurdish prisoner of conscience, after 15 years of torture and imprisonment. And, on Tuesday, May 7, in the 15th week of “#NoToExecution” campaign, …

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• 9 May

  When Football Means the Same Thing for Putin and Khamenei

  

  Iranwire – In less than 60 days, Iranian football has experienced an unprecedented level of “open security actions” against footballers, coaches, referees, and spectators.  On March 12, 2024, the Intelligence Organization of the Revolutionary Guards began a campaign at the Sports Ministry to oust Mahsa Ghorbani, an international referee for Iranian women’s football. Hossein Hosseini, the goalkeeper for Esteghlal FC, was suspended and fined …

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• 9 May

  3 People Including Woman Executed in Kerman

  

  Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Abdollah Ozbekzehi, Khalilollah Barahouyi and Fariba Mohammadzehi were executed for drug-related charges in Kerman Central Prison. According to HRANA news agency, two men and a woman were executed in Kerman Central Prison on 8 May. Their identities have been reported as 33-year-old Fariba Mohammadzehi, Abdollah Ozbekzehi and Khalilollah Barahouyi. They were sentenced to death for …

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• 9 May

  5 Men at Risk of Execution in Isfahan

  

  Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Mahmoud Atayi-Nakuabadi, Massoud Astaki, Jafar Hosseinzadeh, Majid Rezaei and Mostafa Agha Mohammadi have been transferred to solitary confinement in prepration for their executions in Isfahan Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, five men were transferred to solitary confinement in preparation for their executions in Isfahan Central Prison. Their identities have been …

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• 9 May

  Hassan Moharar Executed in Isfahan

  

  Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Hossein Moharar was executed for drug-related charges in Urmia Central Prison. According to information obtained by Iran Human Rights, a man was executed in Urmia Central Prison on 7 May. His identity has been established as 30-year-old Hassan Moharar who was sentenced to death for drug-related charges by the Revolutionary Court. An informed source told …

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• 8 May

  Iranians Suspect Government Scheme to Again Ban Women from Stadiums

  

  iranintl – Iranian media and soccer fans suspect that verbal and physical violence against female football fans is deliberately staged by authorities at stadiums to justify re-imposition of the ban on their presence. Suspicions grew after a recent incident at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on Wednesday, May 1, during a Champions League match between Sepahan FC and Persepolis FC. During the …

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• 8 May

  France Denounces ‘State Hostage-Taking’ by Iran

  

  iranintl – The French government on Tuesday accused Iran of adopting a policy of “state hostage-taking” and “blackmail,” intensifying calls for the release of a French couple detained for the past two years. The condemnation by France highlights a rare and escalating conflict between Iran and Western nations over detained foreign nationals. Cecile Kohler, a teacher and head of the National Federation …

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• 8 May

  US Lawmakers Worry IRGC Accessed Classified Documents Through Malley

  

  iranintl – Former US Iran envoy Robert Malley lost his security clearance, two influential congressmen have suggested, because he had transferred classified documents to his personal email and cell phone, and the documents were then stolen by a hostile cyber actor. It’s not clear who the “cyber actor” was, but US lawmakers have expressed concern about the possibility that it …

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• 8 May

  What Would a Re-elected Trump Do with Iran?

  

  iranintl – On November 8, 2024, the world may expect a re-enactment of Donald Trump’s temperamental mono in foreign affairs after a four-year interval upon his possible re-election. For those in the Middle East, the day could mark anticipation and expectation seamlessly fused as a sense of “anticipancy.” During his presidency, two fundamental features of Trump’s tactical foreign policy toolkit were …

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• 8 May

  Iran Says 2022 Protest Supporter’s Death Sentence Can be Appealed

  

  Iranwire – The Islamic Republic’s judiciary has announced that the death sentence handed to political prisoner Mahmoud Mehrabi can be appealed to the Supreme Court of Iran. But it added that the defendant has “52 private plaintiffs” against him. On Tuesday, May 7, the judiciary-affiliated Mizan News Agency claimed that, during the 2022 nationwide protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, Mehrabi had posted controversial …

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• 8 May

  Iranian Police Chief Claims ‘Homeland and Religion Would Vanish Without Hijab’

  

  Iranwire – The police commander of the Islamic Republic has stated that the homeland would cease to exist without the hijab.  During the government’s crackdown on women opposing the mandatory hijab, Ahmad Reza Radan remarked, “If they remove the hijab, the homeland and religion will automatically vanish.”  “While we acknowledge economic challenges, how many women who refuse to wear hijab …

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• 8 May

  Iranian Musician Amir Tataloo Faces Final Trial

  

  Iranwire – The final trial of tattoo-covered Iranian musician Amir Tataloo took place on Tuesday in Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. Tataloo faces allegations including producing, sending, distributing, and publishing “obscene” works, such as clips, songs, and images containing vulgar and explicit content.  Other accusations include “establishing a gambling operation, inciting individuals to access obscene content, encouraging …

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• 8 May

  Jewish Groups Protest Former Iranian President’s Hungary Visit

  

  RFL/RE – Hungarian Jewish organizations and the Israeli Embassy have condemned a public university for having invited Iran’s populist former President Mahmud Ahmadinejad to an event this week. The Budapest-based Ludovika University of Public Service invited the controversial politician — who has said Israel is doomed to be “wiped off the map” and that the Holocaust was a “myth” — …

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• 8 May

  No Veil, No Sale: Iran Links Pharmacies’ Drug Quotas To Hijab Compliance

  

  RFL/RE – Iran has fined and shut down scores of businesses for allegedly flouting the country’s controversial hijab law in recent years. Among them were pharmacies accused of failing to impose the Islamic head scarf on their female staff and customers.Now, in their latest attempt to encourage compliance, the authorities have said that pharmacies could receive reduced drug quotas if …

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• 8 May

  Iran Seeks To Tighten Crackdown On Afghan Refugees

  

  VOA – Iran says it has expelled some 1.3 million foreigners over the past year, highlighting a significant crackdown by the government on unauthorized migrants, primarily Afghan refugees. Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi told a press briefing that the efforts to regulate foreign nationals needs to be bolstered with legislative reforms to tighten border controls and prevent any future influx of unauthorized migrants. …

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• 8 May

  UN atomic watchdog chief pushes Iran to take ‘concrete’ steps to cooperate

  

  VOA – U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said cooperation from Iran regarding its nuclear program is “completely unsatisfactory.” Grossi made the statement Tuesday after attending a nuclear conference in Iran. Grossi, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, urged Iran to adopt concrete measures to address concerns surrounding the Islamic Republic’s rapidly advancing atomic program. Iran and IAEA are …

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• 8 May

  US-Iran sanctions swap deemed symbolic, ineffective by some analysts

  

  VOA – In a tit-for-tat move, Iran sanctioned five U.S. companies and seven individuals last week, accusing them of fueling terrorism in the Middle East. This largely symbolic announcement served as retaliation against last month’s new batch of U.S. sanctions targeting Iranian cybersecurity and drone industries. The U.S. levels similar accusations against Iran, claiming Tehran supports terrorist groups in the …

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• 8 May

  The transfer of seven prisoners to solitary cells for the execution of their death sentences

  

  Iran-HRM – On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, seven prisoners in Urmia, Qazvin, and Kerman prisons were transferred to individual cells in preparation for the execution of their death sentences, all in a single day. Among these prisoners, a female inmate has also been observed. On Tuesday, May 7, 2024, four prisoners in Urmia prison were transferred to individual cells for …

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• 8 May

  Iran: Women and Girls Facing Violent Crackdown

  

  Amnesty – Iranian authorities are waging a “War on Women” to punish defiance of forced veiling in the wake of the “Woman Life Freedom” uprising. Since April, security forces have intensified their enforcement of compulsory veiling in public spaces through subjecting women and girls to constant surveillance, beatings, sexual violence, electric shocks, arbitrary arrest and detention and other harassment. View …

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• 8 May

  Tortured, Now Facing Execution after Sham Trial: Urgent Appeal for Kurdish Political Prisoner in Iran

  

  CHRI – In a brief, heart-wrenching visit, the family of Khosrow Besharat, who is incarcerated in Iran’s Qezel Hesar Prison—where mass hunger strikes are ongoing to protest surging and unlawful executions—faced the realization that their loved one, a political prisoner tortured into a coerced “confession,” now faces imminent execution. “From the moment of his arrest, Khosrow Besharat has been stripped of his …

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• 7 May

  Iran’s Sanction-Busting Methods Breed Massive Corruption

  

  iranintl – The bickering of political rivals in Iran has brought to light the role of “trust companies” in funneling back proceeds from sanctioned crude oil sales and the corruption involved in such operations. During the international sanctions of the first half of the 2010s and the US sanctions imposed since 2018, Iran faced restricted access to the international banking …

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• 7 May

  Activists Meet Canadian MPs to Address Iran Issue

  

  iranintl – Canadian MPs met with a delegation of Iranian civil activists at the Canadian parliament on Monday to address the needs of the Iranian diaspora. Over the course of two days, approximately 25 activists will engage in around 40 separate meetings with the agenda including pressing for assistance for asylum seekers as Iranians continue to flee the oppressive conditions in Iran. …

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• 7 May

  Healthcare Crisis: Drug Shortages Endanger Iran’s Thalassemia Patients

  

  Iranwire – Iran faces a healthcare crisis as Thalassemia patients struggle with critical medication shortages amid the government’s focus on enforcing “religious observance” in pharmacies.  Since 2018, over 1,100 patients have died due to a lack of essential drugs. This shortage coincides with the return of sanctions and the fall of the Iranian currency. The Iranian Thalassemia Association has warned …

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• 7 May

  Iran Sentences Political Prisoner to 5 Years in Jail

  

  Iranwire – Shirin Saeedi, a political prisoner, has been handed a five-year prison sentence by the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.  Saeedi is currently confined to the Women’s Ward of Evin Prison.  Her conviction arises from charges of “assembly and collusion to act against national security.” Saeedi still has the opportunity to appeal within a 20-day timeframe. The specific actions underlying …

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• 7 May

  Iran Targets Journalists Who Covered Teenager’s Death

  

  Iranwire – Iranian authorities are targeting journalists who reported on the death of Nika Shakrami, a teenager who was sexually assaulted and killed during the 2022 nationwide protests.  The Tehran Prosecutor’s Office has filed cases against Hadi Kasaizadeh, editor-in-chief of Maidan Azadi magazine, and economic journalist Asal Dadashlo. This action follows a BBC World Service report on April 30, saying it …

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