Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Iran will respond firmly to any Israeli naval action against its oil shipments, Iran’s defense minister said on Wednesday, in comments that came a week after Israel’s prime minister said its navy could act against Iranian oil “smuggling” to evade US sanctions.US President Donald Trump last year quit a nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed some sanctions, aiming …

RFL/E – The United States has condemned the new prison sentences reportedly imposed on Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh “in the strongest possible terms.” “We are outraged to hear reports that the Iranian regime sentenced…Sotoudeh to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes,” State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said on March 12.“This sentence is beyond barbaric,” he added. Meanwhile, …

VOA – A group of Iranian lawyers has added its voice to international criticism of Tehran for sentencing a female colleague to additional years in prison in relation to her work in defending Iranian rights activists. In an open letter to the Iranian people dated Tuesday and sent by one of the authors to VOA Persian, the group of 16 …

VOA — U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, blasted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Iraq and accused his government of trying to control Iraq by fueling sectarian conflict in the country. U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook speaks to VOA Persian, Dec. 18, 2018. In an interview with Alhurrha TV, Hook said Rouhani’s visit is not in …

Amnesty – Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer, has been sentenced to 38 years in prison and 148 lashes because of her work defending women’s rights & protesting against Iran’s forced hijab laws. The new sentence of 33 years in prison brings Nasrin’s total sentence – after two grossly unfair trials – to 38 years in prison. Nasrin …

PayvandNews – The Iranian government has long accused some of its neighboring states of using terrorism and insurgency to destabilize the country. There may be some truth to these accusations. But Iran’s treatment of minority groups has also contributed to the rise of militancy. By Fatemeh Aman (source: LobeLog) Photos: A Village Living In The Past CenturyVillage of Jovanidap in the …

Radiofarda – The conflicting reports about the length of jail term of Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh seems to have been resolved. Her husband Reza Khandan told AFP on Tuesday that she will be serving 10 years of the 33 he had announced yesterday on his Facebook page and in an interview with Radio Farda. Initially, there was confusion …

Radiofarda – Iran’s foreign ministry warned the UK on Tuesday that giving diplomatic protection to a British-Iranian mother jailed in Tehran would not make the situation “easier”, state news agency IRNA reported. Britain on Friday extended the status to Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was arrested in Tehran in 2016. “What is certain is that the British government’s move lacks goodwill and …

Radiofarda – U.S. Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo will meet with top oil executives before he addresses a conference on Tuesday, in an effort to get them to help the administration’s effort to boost crude exports to Asia and to support its policy of isolating Iran, according to three people at two companies briefed on the agenda. The outreach represents …

Radiofarda – U.S. Special Representative Brian Hook questioned President Hassan Rouhani’s “motives” regarding Iraq, while the Iranian leader was visiting the neighboring country. In an interview with Alhurrha TV, Hook on March 11 said that when the Rouhani’s government does “prioritize his own people so why on earth he would prioritize the welfare of the Iraqi people”. Rouhani arrived in …