Social and Political

RFL/RE – Iran’s ambassador to Iraq opened a new consulate for his country in the southern city of Basra, four days after protesters burned down the old mission.

RFL/RE – Turkey has called for international backing for a cease-fire in the last rebel stronghold in Syria, telling the UN Security Council that an all-out assault on Idlib Province will result in a “major humanitarian catastrophe.”

VOA — Iran’s nuclear chief said Tuesday he hopes Tehran’s landmark atomic deal with world powers will survive President Donald Trump withdrawing the U.S. from it, warning the Islamic Republic’s program stands ready to build advanced centrifuges and further enrich uranium.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – For years, piles of giant parcels could be seen on the street corners of almost every Iranian metropolis, each representing the bounty of a few hours of foraging. A morning stroll in the city reveals “dumpster divers” hunched over almost every visible waste bin, toiling in the day at what used to be a …

CHRI – In a letter from Iran’s Evin Prison, prominent human rights attorney Nasrin Sotoudeh has condemned the judiciary’s execution of three Kurdish prisoners on September 8, 2018, despite serious concerns regarding the use of torture, forced confessions and denials of access to counsel in all their cases.

Al-Monitor – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif paid an official visit to Damascus Sept. 3 to meet with high-ranking Syrian officials and discuss the latest developments in the country. Iran’s role in the process of post-war reconstruction in Syria was a top priority among the issues discussed. At a meeting with Syrian Prime Minister Imad Khamis, Zarif touched upon …

Al-Monitor – The government of President Hassan Rouhani has approved a bill on the right to further education and tabled it to the Iranian parliament. According to the Reformist daily Etemad, if ratified, the bill could decide the fate of so-called “starred students.” The term refers to university students barred from pursuing degrees for allegedly engaging in political activities deemed illegal and …

lobelog.com – The latest protests in Iraq have taken a distinctly anti-Iran character, as shown by the attack on Iran’s consulate in Basra. According to reports in Iranian and some Iraqi news outlets, the Iraqi security authorities were lax in preventing the attack.

Radiofarda – Iran’s first vice-president Es’haq Jahangiri has admitted on Tuesday, September 11 that U.S. sanctions against Iran have been “highly effective.”

Radiofarda – The ambitious housing project championed by former hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become a “headache” for the incumbent, Hassan Rouhani and his cabinet.