Social and Political

Iranwire – The repression against professors and university students deemed as critical to the Islamic Republic continues unabated in Iran. During the first week of the new academic year, at least nine male students and three female students were barred from entering Tehran’s Amirkabir University of Technology, according to Amirkabir News Telegram Channel. A number of these students had previously …

Iranwire – Dozens of UK lawmakers have urged the government to designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization, citing the force’s “inhumane and unlawful actions” both in Iran and Britain. The death in police custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini a year ago sparked months of anti-establishment protests that were brutally quashed by security forces, with hundreds …

VOA – Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi denounced Sunday any attempts by regional countries to normalize relations with its arch-enemy Israel as “reactionary and regressive.” The remarks came amid ongoing U.S.-brokered negotiations between Israel and Saudi Arabia to establish formal ties, with the United States saying Friday that the two countries are moving toward the outline of a deal. “Normalizing relations …

iranintl – Iranian authorities have been shutting down cafes around Tehran University campus in the past eighteen months to “protect the wholesome Islamic-Iranian culture.” Closing cafes and coffee shops, which are very popular with students and other young people, is apparently part of the larger plans of the ruling hardliners to shut down all such establishments as symbols of “corruptive …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The disastrous consequences of oligarchs meddling in politics are too well known to need more attention here. But what about the plutocrats’ record? The question merits attention, because right now two American plutocrats are engaged in erratic attempts at solving two of the hottest international problems. Elon Musk, the owner of X (Twitter), Tesla and SpaceX, and reputed …

Iran Human Rights – A year has passed since Zahedan’s Bloody Friday when at least 104 people including 14 children and 4 women were gunned down with assault rifles and machine guns within hours after worshippers gathered to protest after Friday Prayer. Some of those killed were bystanders. Yet, the perpetrators of this heinous crime have not been held accountable. …

iranintl – A hardliner cleric and a loyalist to Iran’s ruler Ali Khamenei has said that the Constitution does not requite the Assembly of Experts to oversee his performance. Firebrand Iranian cleric Ahmad Khatami, a member of the presidium of the Assembly of Experts, made this assertion during the assembly’s annual meeting. However, the Constitution’s Article 111 clearly grants the …

iranintl – After revelations of an Iranian influence operation, over 30 US senators have called for the immediate revocation of a Pentagon official’s security clearance. The official in question is ArianeTabatabaei who serves as chief of staff for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict, a senior position with top-secret security clearance. Earlier this week, Iran …

CHRI – Update on September 30, 2023: Since yesterday, Iranian state security forces attempting to suppress anti-state protests in the city of Zahedan have injured at least 29 individuals—including eight children.In the provinces of Sistan and Baluchestan, specifically in the cities of Zahedan, Khash, and Mirjaveh, at least 51 individuals have been confirmed as arrested since last night, as reported by …

Al-Monitor — The European Union has broadened its scrutiny beyond Iranian individuals and companies involved in the production of reconnaissance and attack drones to encompass international companies and other nations indirectly supplying components for Iran’s drone fabrication. European security experts have told Al-Monitor that collaboration between Brussels and Washington on the issue has recently increased in a joint effort to block Iran’s …