Social and Political

PayvandNews – On 7 March 2019, parts of Taq Kasra collapsed only two years after the completion of a conservation operation by Avers. The Czech firm had been commissioned by the Iraqi Ministry of Culture. Taq Kasra, also known as the Arch of Ctesiphon, is the world’s largest brick vault and the symbol of the Persian Empire in the Sasanian era (224-651 …

Radiofarda – The water is subsiding in flood-hit Golestan and Mazandaran provinces in northern Iran, local news outlets reported on March 23, as dozens of cities and villages have suffered from heavy rains. The Floods might be subsiding, but the political fallout from a slow response by the government has not. It took two days for any meaningful action to …

Radiofarda – While two-third of the city of Aqqala, in northern Iran, is still submerged in water, the governor of the southern oil-rich province of Kuzestan has banned all local managers from leaving the region. “Since there are some concerns over the basin of Karkheh River, forces have been assigned to check the floodgates, and do whatever necessary to confront …

Radiofarda – Iran’s Deputy Attorney General has announced that raising funds by celebrities to help victims of floods in Iran “is banned” and he warned that any bank account opened for this purpose will be closed. Javid Javidnia told the Judiciary’s online news service March 24 that so far 60 accounts have been opened and some of them have already …

Al-Arabia – The United States clinched a strategic port deal with Oman on Sunday which US officials say will allow the US military better access the Gulf region and reduce the need to send ships through the Strait of Hormuz, a maritime choke point off Iran. The US embassy in Oman said in a statement that the agreement governed US …

Al-Arabia – Iran said on Sunday it would expand its ties with Lebanon in spite of the “provocative and interventionist” call by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for Beirut to choose sides, Iranian state television reported. On a regional tour, Pompeo said on Friday that Lebanon faced a choice – “Bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation, …

Al-Monitor – Like celebrities in other countries, those in Iran may be expecting favors when facing law enforcement officers. But a recent incident and the ensuing public outrage could make them rethink that kind of attitude. Farhad Majidi, a legendary former soccer player and current coach, posted a video on his Instagram account earlier this month showing him in a …

Radiofarda – The water is subsiding in flood-hit Golestan and Mazandaran provinces in northern Iran, local news outlets reported on March 23, as dozens of cities and villages have suffered from the heavy rains. The Iran Meteorological Organization (IRMO) warned that some areas in the west and southwest of the country were also being threatened by freezing temperatures and flash …

Radiofarda – A former political prisoner and a reformist politician has suggested to combine the positions of Supreme Leader and the president of the Islamic republic into one executive power, elected by the people and subject to term limits. Mostafa Tajzadeh in a video released on Twitter March 22, proposed the idea as a response to some Iranian conservatives who …

Radiofarda – Iran’s vice president has fired the governor of a northern province gripped by a massive flood, for being on a foreign trip and not returning to manage the disaster emergency. ains have battered Iran’s northern provinces of Golestan and Mazandaran, leaving homes flooded and others without power. Es’haq Jahangiri, Hassan Rouhani’s vice president made the move as the …