Social and Political

Iranwire – Iranian security forces fired tear gas, live rounds and pellets at protesters in the southeastern city of Zahedan, wounding at least 19 people, according to local reports. The shooting took place near Makki Mosque on the eve of the first anniversary of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday, a tragedy that claimed the lives of more than 100 people, according to …

Iranwire – The fallout from an investigative report revealing an Iranian government influence operation in the United States continues, demanding answers from the administration. “I didn’t think the Biden admin’s appeasement of Iran could get worse. Today, I confronted them on allowing an Iranian spy to infiltrate and work at the Pentagon. They defended it. Unbelievable!” Sen. Joni Ernst wasn’t …

VOA – Iranian naval forces repeatedly aimed a laser at an American military helicopter during a routine flight in international airspace over the Persian Gulf, the U.S. military said Thursday. The helicopter — an AH-1Z Viper — is attached to a unit deployed on the USS Bataan amphibious assault ship, which was sent to the region as part of American …

gatestoneinstitute – Even though Iran is a party to the International Convention against the Taking of Hostages, the Islamist regime has long violated it, as it has other commitments, by taking foreign hostages as pawns to extract economic concessions and achieve geopolitical and financial gains. We can now expect the Iranian regime to arrest or abduct more Americans anywhere it …

Al-Monitor – A fire broke out at an Iranian defense site near Tehran on Thursday, constituting the latest in a series of mysterious incidents in the country amid tensions with the United States and Israel. The fire occurred north of the capital, Tehran, at a car battery factory owned by Iran’s Defense Ministry. There were no injuries, The Associated Press reported, …

iranintl – Stakeholders in the US continued to express dismay Wednesday, after Iran International and Semafor exposed an Iranian-backed influence operation in Washington. The report, published Tuesday, cites dozens of emails to show how (at least) three associates of former Iran envoy Robert Malley endeavored to promote the Islamic Republic’s line on its nuclear program, publishing op-eds, appearing on news channels, …

Iranwire – Security measures are being stepped up in the southeastern Iranian province of Sistan and Baluchistan ahead of the first anniversary of Zahedan’s Bloody Friday massacre.  Zahedan is the capital of Sistan and Baluchistan, which is home to Iran’s Sunni Baluch minority of up to 2 million people.  The restive city has seen protest rallies almost every Friday since …

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 …