Social and Political

RFL/RE – Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi’s visit to Iran has been cancelled after he said he had no choice but to abide by U.S. sanctions against Tehran, even though he disagreed with their imposition.

VOA – Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Monday government mismanagement has hurt Iran’s economy more than U.S. sanctions.

Radiofarda – The leaders of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and the Republic of Azerbaijan’s signed a regional convention regarding the legal regime of the Caspian Sea during their summit in Aktau, Kazakhstan on Sunday August 12.

Radiofrada – Iran’s investment finance contracts with European, Japanese and South Korean banks have been suspended, the director of loans at Islamic Republic’s Investment Organization has disclosed.

Al-Arabia – It was an almost surrealistic scene the other day when the European Union’s foreign relations spokeswoman Federica Mogherini traveled halfway around the world to New Zealand to lobby for “continued trade with the Islamic Republic of Iran” in defiance of sanctions re-imposed by US President Donald Trump.

Al-Arabia – Iran’s judiciary said Sunday that 67 people have been arrested in recent weeks as part of a corruption crackdown approved by supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran-HRM – Iran’s youth risking all for “better” life in the face of anguish

RFL/RE – Confusion has surfaced over French energy giant Total’s massive South Pars gas project in Iran after the official IRNA news agency reported that China’s state-owned petroleum corporation had been given a majority stake in the field.

PayvandNews – Reports from Iran indicate an “intense clash” between security forces and angry fans attending a football match in Tehran on Friday.  Reports from Tehran also say thousands of football fans at Tehran’s Azadi Stadium chanted anti-government slogans in the course of the clash which appeared to be not politically motivated in the first place.

Radiofarda – The Iranian currency started the new Iranian week on Saturday with another decline, trading above 10,500 rials to the dollar.