Social and Political

RFL/RE – Leaders from Russia and Saudi Arabia say the so-called OPEC+ group has agreed to extend by six to nine months a deal to reduce oil output in an effort to bolster global crude prices in the face of a potential economic slowdown.Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan, on …

VOA – It is up to Europe to shield Iran from U.S. sanctions and prevent it from further scaling back its compliance with its 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, Iranian state TV said Saturday, with only days left on Tehran’s ultimatum. Iran’s envoy to a meeting of the remaining signatories to the nuclear accord said Friday that European countries had offered …

gatestoneinstitute.org ….sanctions are working not by wrecking the lives of ordinary Iranians, who do suffer nevertheless, but by denying the mullahs the means to indulge in their deadly Tom-and-Jerry shenanigans. Each time the US imposed sanctions, the mullahs took a bite of humble pie and briefly modified aspects of their behavior as if playing a Tom-and-Jerry script. However, once sanctions …

Radiofarda – The U.S. has deployed F-22 stealth fighters to Qatar for the first time, its military said Friday, adding to a buildup of U.S. forces in the Gulf amid tensions with Iran. The Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth fighters have been deployed “to defend American forces and interests,” the U.S. Air Forces Central Military Command said in a statement …

Radiofarda – Drone attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil industry in May originated in Iraq, not Yemen, U.S. officials have concluded, drawing questions from Iraqi officials who have asked Washington for more information supporting the claim, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday. U.S. officials familiar with the intelligence on the May drone attacks say they originated in southern Iraq, the …

Radiofarda – President Donald Trump imposed new sanctions last Monday on the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as everyone in his office or appointed by him. “The Supreme Leader of Iran is the one who ultimately is responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime,” the President told reporters, adding, “These measures represent a strong and …

Radiofarda – Iran is “secretly selling oil” by getting assistance from Malaysia to sidestep U.S. sanctions, reports say. Referring to the latest findings by a Sweden-based company, Tanker Trackers, the world’s largest financial newspaper, Japanese Nikkei, reported on Thursday, Iran’s efforts to sustain its oil exports to Asia in the face of tightened U.S. sanctions appear to be getting some …

Radiofarda – The head of Iran’s Supreme Court has cautioned judges to be vigilant against female lawyers who might tempt them with their deceptive, enticing behavior. Ahmad Mortazavi Moqaddam (Moghaddam), a mid-ranking cleric was appointed chief of the Supreme Court on April 24. Speaking in a session held on Thursday, June 27, to accolade exemplary judges and employees of the …

Radiofarda – Iran’s state TV, which is controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, has been collecting advertising revenues in hard currency on YouTube, Shahrvand newspaper reported in Tehran on June 25. Based on the report, the Iranian state TV IRIB (The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting), has begun showcasing, marketing and webcasting its TV sitcoms and some other popular programs …

RFL/RE – A British-Iranian woman who is serving a five-year prison term in Iran on sedition charges that she denies has ended a 15-day hunger strike, her husband said. A file photo of British-Iranian woman Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe with her husband Richard Ratcliffe and daughter Gabriella. Richard Ratcliffe told the BBC on June 29 that Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, 40, had eaten some …