Social and Political

Iranwire – Security officials in Iran detained on Monday a Baha’i citizen, Masoud Mahmoudi, in the northeastern city of Shirvan.  Officials from the Intelligence Department reportedly entered Mahmoudi’s house and confiscated electronic devices, including mobile phones and laptops, belonging to him and to his family members.  Mahmoudi was then arrested and taken to an undisclosed location. The reason for Mahmoudi’s …

Iranwire – Satellite imagery shows progress in the construction of a factory in Russia that will mass produce Iranian-designed Shahed-136 kamikaze drones to be used in the Kremlin’swar in Ukraine, according to a Washington-based research institute. The plant is located at the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, 800 kilometers east of Moscow in Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan. The factory belongs to …

CHRI – Imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi faces new charges that underscore the draconian tactics employed by Islamic Republic of Iran officials to silence dissent and punish peaceful activists. The international community must quickly respond with strong collective action to end her imprisonment, said the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). “Narges Mohammadi’s imprisonment in Iran is the price …

iranintl – In a shock cabinet reshuffle, former PM David Cameron has been brought back into politics as the Conservative party’s foreign secretary. It came following the firing of home secretary Suella Braverman, as she was the most outspoken member of government to condemn the increasing Islamic extremism plaguing the UK’s streets under the guise of pro-Palestine demonstrations amidst the Gaza …

iranintl – Former US national security adviser John Bolton has called on President Joe Biden to be more forceful with Iran over its plots to kidnap or kill Americans. Speaking to CBS Sunday, Bolton, who served under the Trump administration, told how the IRGC attempted to hire a hitman to kill him “either in the US or abroad.” He and …

Iranwire – The focus of the Iranian government is on suppressing commemorations marking the first anniversaries of the deaths of victims of its brutal crackdown on nationwide demonstrations.  However, despite facing arrest and other means of pressure, the victims’ families find ways to maintain the memories of the hundreds of people killed by security forces during protests sparked by the …

Iranwire – The news that the Interior Ministry’s executive committees have disqualified a number of representatives in the 11th parliament of the Islamic Republic from running in the next parliamentary elections has not attracted much public attention in Iran. The vote, set for March 1, will be the first since a bloody state crackdown quelled nationwide protests that erupted in September 2022. …

Iranwire – The commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Air Force has warned that the Hamas-Israel conflict is likely to escalate throughout the region, insisting that “Tehran is prepared for all scenarios.” Amir Ali Hajizadeh also claimed that there were three contacts between US and Iranian officials regarding the conflict in one single night, adding that the Americans …

Iranwire – The number of mosques in Iran is 55 times higher than the number of private and public hospitals, according to new research by Iran Open Data. The collaborative initiative also cites official statistics as showing that mosques are more accessible than hospital beds in two Iranian provinces. There is a paucity of official data on the total number …

gatestoneinstitute.org – These demonstrators, who appear to feel so virtuous, send a message to the terrorist groups that people in the West happily support violence, terrorism and the Jihad (holy war) not only against Israel and Jews, but also against Christians, all “infidels,” Europe, the United States and the West. Although many Palestinians in the Gaza Strip support Hamas and …