Social and Political

Radiofarda – U.S. President Donald Trump’s National Security Adviser John Bolton will discuss arms control treaties and Iran’s role in Syria in talks with his Russian counterpart Nikolai Patrushev in Geneva next week, Reuters is reporting.

VOA – The Trump administration’s new special representative for Iran says his team will focus most of its work on changing Tehran’s behavior on issues of nuclear weapons, terrorism and detention of Americans.

CHRI – After several state officials called on President Hassan Rouhani to make Twitter accessible in Iran, a hardline judicial official has said doing so would be a “crime.”

Al-Arabia – The future of some Iranian newspapers is in limbo as they can’t afford paper, a new phenomenon stemming in part from US sanctions.

lobelog – As Iran’s domestic tensions in some regions are on the rise over water shortages and persistent drought, the country has another challenge to overcome: a dispute over transboundary waters with its South Asian neighbor, Afghanistan.

Al-Monitor – The United States is increasing its pressure on Iran at a time when the country’s Reform movement appears to be on its deathbed. Increasingly, the Reformist camp’s attempts to help overcome the national crises related to the failing economy and external pressure are deemed meaningless by many Iranians who have been responding to such efforts with anger and scorn.

Radiofarda – The United States says it is “closely monitoring” reports of human rights abuses in Iran, the State Department confirmed Wednesday, August 15.

Radiofarda – Iranian media is buzzing over a photo taken of President Hassan Rouhani at a meeting with the heads of Iran’s legislative and judiciary branches August 14. Some say Rouhani looks angry in the photo, and commentators are taking turns speculating what might be the cause of his ire.

Radiofarda – German rail operator Deutsche Bahn and Deutsche Telekom are ending projects in Iran after Washington imposed new sanctions against Tehran and said firms doing business with Iran would be barred from doing business with the United States.

RFL/RE – India, the second biggest crude oil customer for Iran, may cut its imports from the Islamic Republic by half to secure a waiver from the U.S. to continue with shipments, Bloomberg has cited “people familiar with the matter” as saying.