Social and Political

Iranwire – Iranian state media have released a video purportedly showing a jet-powered version of the Shahed-series one-way attack drone, which Russia has used in its war in Ukraine. According to military analysts, the new version would be much faster and more difficult to intercept than the current Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drone, which is outfitted with a puttering piston engine. 🔥 …

Iranwire – An Iranian court has sentenced 17 people to fines and flogging for protesting last year the management practices of their employer, state-owned Iran National Steel Industrial Group, and their employment status, local media report. The semi-official ILNA news agency reported that the Revolutionary Court of the southern city of Ahvaz ordered the workers to pay a fine of …

VOA – The United States and Iran are denying reports that the two sides are engaged in secret negotiations following a prisoner exchange deal earlier this month that included the unlocking of billions of dollars of frozen Iranian funds. There are no direct or indirect talks scheduled, including any involving Brett McGurk, White House coordinator for the Middle East and …

Al-Monitor – Two Israelis and three Palestinians were charged Thursday for their involvement in a “terror cell” operated by a person living in Jordan and working under Iranian instructions, Israel’s security agency, Shin Bet, said.  Among other things, the five individuals are suspected of trying to gather intelligence on National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, receiving instructions to assassinate former Knesset …

iranintl – An investigative report documenting an Iranian-backed influence operation in the United States has enraged lawmakers and others across the country. The report, published in two versions simultaneously by Iran International and Semafor on Tuesday, depicts a close yet lopsided relationship between the Islamic Republic and three associates of Robert Malley, Biden’s special envoy on Iran, who’s been suspended and is under investigation …

iranintl – Reactions to Iran International’s report revealing a Tehran-linked network of individuals influencing US officials are bubbling up with calls for accountability.  During a press briefing on Tuesday, US Department of State Spokesman Matthew Miller tried to reduce the problem to only one of the aides of Robert Malley, President Joe Biden’s former special envoy for Iran. Malley has been put on unpaid leave …

iranintl – Politicians in Iran are engaged in speculation regarding their odds and opportunities as they look ahead to the country’s parliamentary election in March 2024.  Amid their political calculations, all are more or less aware that the true course of events leading to the election depends solely on Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s decision. The aging ruler can prevent anyone’s …

Iranwire – The release of new guidelines for the Iranian universities of medical sciences, which include rules on how students should dress, has sparked a flurry of reactions among local media outlets and social media users. The Ministry of Health has recently unveiled a “code of conduct” which students and assistants of medical sciences faculties and universities are required to …

Iranwire – A suspected explosion rocked the area of the western Iranian city of Khorramabad earlier this week, with some unofficial and unverified reports saying it could have been a sabotage operation in a nearby underground missile base. The semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that around 10 p.m. on September 25, “strong shocks accompanied by a terrible sound caused tremors …

Al-Monitor — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday that Iran is now warming up to a joint Turkish-Azeri plans to set up a transport corridor connecting Turkey to Azerbaijan via Armenia. Speaking on his way back from the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan, Erdogan reiterated his country’s resolve to set up the corridor through which Ankara is seeking to boost its trade …