Social and Political

Al-Monitor — Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) in New York July 18 to feel out prospects for possible discussions between Iran and the United States, a non-government expert in contact with the Iranian team told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. The Iranian mission to the UN did not respond to Al-Monitor queries on the meeting. …

Shabtabnews – The second annual meeting to advance religious freedom ended by statement from Sam Brownback, US Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom on the importance of combating religious oppression on worldwide basis. Mr Brownback also mentioned the importance of number of global grassroots movements in support of religious movements and urged for positive actions by governments to support religious tolerance. …

Radiofarda – U.S. President Donald Trump said on July 18 that a 100-year deal is needed with Iran, adding that the 2015 nuclear deal was “a disaster” most importantly because it would be ending soon. This was the second time in less than a day that Trump criticized the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) for its short term. First, he said during …

Radiofarda – China is calling on Washington to “correct” sanctions imposed on Chinese companies accused of helping Iran acquire materials for its nuclear program. A foreign ministry spokesman on Friday said U.S. pressure on Iran and its “long-arm jurisdiction” against companies in third countries is the “root cause” of tension with Tehran. The spokesman, Geng Shuang, said, “We urge the …

Radiofarda – A court in Amsterdam, Netherlands, has sentenced to life imprisonment the suspect who ordered the murder of an exiled Iranian in December 2015, in the Dutch town of Almere. File – Mohammad Reza Kolahi Samadi in his youth (L) when he was accused of the worst terror attack against the nascent Islamic Republic and in later years in …

Radiofarda – The United States is struggling to win its allies’ support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said. Washington proposed on July 9 stepping up efforts to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen where it blames …

Al-Arabia – Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi denied on Friday that Iran had lost a drone in the Strait of Hormuz after the United States said that a US Navy ship had “destroyed” an Iranian drone. “We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down …

Iran-HRM – It would seem that the Iranian regime is stepping up pressure against political prisoners by using non-political violent inmates to attack them. There have been reports on some rights activists and political prisoners who were brutalized in prison during the past few days. Particularly, families of political prisoners are increasingly concerned about the safety of their loved ones …

RFL/RE — The U.S. Treasury Department on July 18 imposed additional sanctions on Iran that target its nuclear-enrichment program.They are the first restrictive measures since Tehran said earlier this month that it would increase enriched uranium levels to above those allowed under the terms of a 2015 nuclear accord.The blacklist includes five people and an international group of companies in Iran, Belgium, …

VOA – Iran signaled Thursday that it was willing to take steps to reduce the tensions over its nuclear program with the Trump administration.  Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in New York that Tehran would be open to more intrusive inspections of its nuclear program if Washington lifted its economic sanctions.   But the offer, which Zarif described as “a substantial …