Social and Political

gatestoneinstitute.org – As Iran’s theocratic establishment believes that the Supreme Leader is Allah’s representative on earth, whatever words or desires the Supreme Leader utters are considered Allah’s wishes, which must be brought to life by Allah’s true believers. Iran has built, or is in the process of building, more than 10 military bases in Syria, some of which are near …

CHRI – A coalition of diverse human rights organizations have signed an open letter supporting the renewal of the UN special rapporteur’s (SR’s) mandate on Iran. Javaid Rehman, a Pakistani-born British legal scholar, was appointed to the position in July 2018 after former SR Asma Jahangir passed away in February 2018. Read the full letter below. TO: Member states of …

Al-Monitor – In an unusual development, a judge in Tehran has sentenced prominent — and aging — political activist Abolfazl Ghadyani to copy three books by hand while serving his prison term. The 74-year-old Ghadyani, who has been tortured and imprisoned both under the former shah and after the 1979 Revolution for his political activism, had been charged with insulting Supreme …

Al-Monitor – President Hassan Rouhani became the first sitting Iranian president to meet with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most senior Iraqi Shiite leader, when he visited the holy city of Najaf on March 14. The meeting took place on the final day of his three-day tour of Iraq. The historic meeting received widespread coverage by Iranian newspapers and was …

Al-Monitor – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani concluded his three-day trip to Iraq, departing from Najaf airport on the evening of March 13. On his last day, he met with Iraq’s top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. During the meeting, Sistani highlighted the importance of respecting Iraqi sovereignty. “Iraq faces three important challenges: fighting corruption, improving services and keeping weapons in the hands of the state,” …

Radiofarda – Several powerful organizations including a financial empire and a foundation under the aegis of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, got the go-ahead from the Tehran Municipality to build “garden towers” in the gardens in and around the Iranian capital; a project that would destroy at least one third of Tehran’s rare and precious green areas. The gardens are …

Radiofarda – Hours after terror attacks against Muslims praying in Mosques in New Zealand, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has sharply condemned Western countries for “hypocrisy of defending demonization of Muslims as ‘freedom of expression’”. In a tweet, Zarif also included a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump grabbed from a news footage, with printed words, “I think Islam hates …

Radiofarda – There are no better treats for Norooz (Iranian New Year, March 21) celebrations than dry nuts and sweets for offering to visiting family and friends, but this year, prices for nuts have gone beyond the reach of most Iranians. A kilo (2.2 pounds) of Grade A local pistachio goes for more than $15, based on free market exchange …

Al-Arabia – Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said that the resolution of the Syrian crisis will lead to the withdrawal of Iranian forces and militias from the region. He was speaking in Brussels at the conference on “Supporting the future of Syria and the region” at the European Council on Thursday.In his speech, Al-Jubeir said …

RFL/RE — The European Parliament has urged Iran to stop criminalizing the work of women’s rights activists and reiterated its call on the country’s authorities to “immediately and unconditionally” release prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh. In a resolution adopted on March 14, the lawmakers urged Iran to release “all human rights defenders, prisoners of conscience, and journalists detained and …