Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has been accused of engaging in widespread acts of corruption, including receiving Iranian funds as payment for providing a “Christian cover” for Hezbollah. The charges leveled by former justice minister Ashraf Rifi, who was also the general director of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces from 2005 to 2013, are certain to inflame political …

VOA – Oil prices reached a six-month high Tuesday after the Trump administration announced it would no longer exempt countries from U.S. sanctions, if they continue to buy Iranian crude oil, a move aimed at imposing a complete oil embargo on Iran. Waivers granted to eight countries, including big Iranian crude importers China, India, Japan, Turkey and South Korea, are …

CHRI – Some Internet Users in Iran Warned of Prosecution for Accessing Blacklisted Websites In 2019, Iranian media outlets began reporting on the sudden appearance of branch offices of a “Prosecutor General’s Cyber Division Rapid Reaction Center,” a new state agency that appears to be tasked with monitoring and censoring online content and activities. The center reportedly has offices in …

Al-Monitor – “Iran and Pakistan will form a rapid reaction force to fight terrorism on their shared border,” President Hassan Rouhani announced at a presser in Tehran following closed-door talks with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan April 22. “We are glad the Pakistani side has branded as terrorists the militant groups that conduct inhumane activities in this area,” Rouhani added. In …

Radiofarda – The Interior Ministry of Georgia says it has denied 6,400 foreigners, half of them Iranians, entry visa in the first quarter of 2019.  Based on the ministry’s report, 3000 Iranians were denied entry visa from January to April. Georgia — Shota Rustaveli International Airport, Tbilisi In the past, regional countries welcomed Iranian tourists, who prefer cheaper holidays in …

RT.Com – Tehran’s appointment of a hardline new commander of its Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) could signal that Iran is preparing for conflict with the US, former Pentagon analyst Michael Maloof has told RT.Read moreIran’s army doesn’t threaten regional powers but stands firm against ‘invaders’ – Rouhani Brigadier General Hossein Salami, 58, will replace Mohammad Ali Jafari as the elite …

Radiofarda – Imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer and defender Nasrin Sotoudeh‘s 33-year jail sentence is final, and she must serve 12 years, the official IRNA news agency reported. Sotoudeh who was arrested in mid-2018, was sentenced in early March to 33 years in prison and 148 lashes. She was subjected to two trials that Amnesty International has called “grossly unfair”. …

Radiofarda – U.S. officials have strongly responded to IRGC Naval Force Commander’s threat about closing the strait of Hormuz if Iran cannot ship its oil through the strategic waterway. A senior U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity told reporters in Washington on Monday April 22 that any move by Iran to close the strategic Strait of Hormuz in …

Radiofarda – A day after the United States ended its waivers to importers of Iranian oil, India said it has secured enough supplies from other exporters and Japan said it will not face significant problems. The U.S. on Monday told eight friendly countries who had received six-month exemptions to import limited quantity of oil from Iran to look elsewhere or …

Radiofarda – The United States on Monday offered a $10 million reward for information that would disrupt the finances of Lebanon’s Shiite militant movement Hezbollah. The State Department said it would give the money to anyone who provides intelligence that allows the United States to disrupt Hezbollah in key ways. The areas include information on Hezbollah’s donors, on financial institutions …