Social and Political

Radiofarda – A member of Islamic Republic parliament’s social commission says one million more people have become slum dwellers in the past 12 months, because of rising cost of living. There are varying estimates about the population of Iran’s shanty towns; ranging from 13 million to 19 million. Ali Kord, the member of parliament who spoke to ILNA news agency …

Radiofarda – Egypt has prevented oil tankers heading to Syria to pass through the Suez Canal in past six months, Al Saudia Al-Aan news outlet cited Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis as saying last week. Syrian sources have not yet denied the report. Referring to Prime Minister Khamis’ comments, a number of Arabic media outlets have speculated on the reasons …

Radiofarda – U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton says he is going to discuss Iran in a meeting with his Israeli counterpart soon. Bolton wrote on his Twitter on Sunday that he was “Looking forward to meeting with Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat tomorrow. We have much to discuss, including our shared commitment to countering Iranian malign activity …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi protested to a few tweets by Gerard Araud, the French Ambassador to the United States and said if the tweets were reflecting the official views of the French government, they were “obvious and major violations of the JCPOA and UN resolution 2131.” Meanwhile, the Iranian Foreign Ministry summoned the new French ambassador …

Al-Arabia – The Instagram accounts of at least three commanders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps were suspended on Tuesday, only a day after the US officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization. The accounts that were suspended included those of Major-General Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force, Major-General Mohammad Ali Jafari, the commander-in-chief of the IRGC, …

RFL/RE – Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has approved drawing up to $2 billion from the country’s National Development Fund as a last resort for aid and reconstruction after catastrophic floods, state media reported on April 15.The government said on April 14 that the floods had caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage to roads, bridges, homes, and farmland. …

VOA — Analysts see this month’s re-opening of an air link between Tehran and Caracas as the latest evidence of Iran’s growing role alongside Russia and Cuba in bolstering the multilayered security apparatus keeping Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in power. Mahan Air, a private airline sanctioned by the United States for its links with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), …

VOA — The U.S. terrorism label for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard formally took effect on Monday, amid a battle between the Trump administration and some in Congress over waivers on oil and nuclear sanctions that are due to expire or be extended early next month. The Guard’s formal designation as a “foreign terrorist organization” — the first-ever for an entire division …

VOA — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo this week described a powerful Iranian military commander as a “terrorist,” while discussing options the U.S. government could have to further punish Iran for its destabilizing activities in the Middle East. “Qassem Soleimani has the blood of Americans on his hands … as does the force that he leads,” Pompeo said during …

gatestoneinstitute.org – After President Trump’s visit to the region, the Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, have ratcheted up their efforts to fight extremism. The UAE and other Gulf states have been participating with the US in a multinational mission. The Islamic Republic of Iran has been encircling Saudi Arabia with the apparent goal of taking …