Social and Political

iranintl – Amid Israel’s war against Iran-backed Hamas, US Senator Lindsey Graham hosted a panel of Iran experts to discuss how the US must take a firm posture to deter Iran. Moderated by United Against Nuclear Iran (UANI) CEO Ambassador Mark D. Wallace, the Wednesday “Roundtable on Correcting US Policy Toward Iran” included several fellow analysts at the UANI and former …

RFL/RE – As fighting intensifies between Palestinian militant group Hamas and Israel, Iran has been increasingly vocal about the prospect of additional firepower entering the fray to score a victory for what Tehran calls the “axis of resistance” against Israel.The axis, refined by the Islamic republic over the last four decades, is a loose-knit network of proxies, Tehran-backed militant groups, …

Iranwire – President Joe Biden has warned the Islamic Republic of Iran that the United States will hold it “accountable” for providing military support to Russia and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. In an address to the American people on October 19, Biden tied the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel together and argued “We can’t let terrorists like Hamas and [Russian …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have leveled serious accusations against prominent rights advocate Pooran Nazemi and at least three other activists, including “insulting the sacred tenets of Islam,” “waging war against God” and “spreading corruption on Earth” – charges that could potentially carry the death penalty. The Dadban legal group said on October 18 that the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Jiroft, …

Iranwire – A magnitude 4.9 earthquake hit southern Iran on October 20, injuring at least seven people, local media reported. Minor material damage was reported in the quake, which struck at a depth of 10 kilometers near the city of Khan Zenyan, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported. Farhad Saadi, the director-general of Crisis Management in Fars province, said that …

Al-Monitor – The day after Hamas launched its surprise attack against Israel on Oct. 7, where scores of Israelis were killed and abducted by the Islamic militants in the south of the country, the Israeli government ordered the Tamar gas field shut down. The field is Israel’s second largest, holding some 10 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and is owned by Chevron, Dor Gas …

iranintl – Attendees at the funeral of Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, who are suspected victims of a state-sponsored crime, chanted anti-government slogans in Tehran on Wednesday. “Death to Khamenei”, and “Death to the perpetrator of this crime!”, chanted participants. Videos posted on social media also show many women not wearing the compulsory hijab and people chanting “Woman, Life, Freedom”, …

Iranwire – The EU parliament has awarded its prestigious Sakharov Prize to Mahsa Amini and the Women, Life, Freedom protest movement in Iran that was sparked by the death of the 22-year-old. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced the 2023 laureate on October 19, saying that the chamber “proudly stands with the brave and defiant who continue to fight for equality, dignity …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities say they have arrested the “primary murderer” of renowned Iranian film director Dariush Mehrjui and his wife, Vahideh Mohammadifar, semi-official media reported.  The 83-year-old Mehrjui and Mohammadifar were stabbed to death over the weekend in their home in Karaj, near Tehran. Mehrjui is known as cofounder of Iran’s film new wave in the 1970s that mainly …

Iranwire – Amnesty International has called on Iranian authorities to immediately release Johan Floderus, a Swedish diplomat working for the European Union who has been “arbitrarily” detained in Iran for a year and a half. Floderus was arrested while visiting Iran in April 2022 “amidst indications the Iranian authorities are holding him hostage…to compel Swedish authorities to swap him for a …