Social and Political

RFL/RE – A prominent Iranian human rights lawyer who was arrested on June 13 has refused to post bail, Iranian news agencies have reported.

Al-Arabia – Award-winning Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh faces prosecution on state security charges following her arrest in the capital last week, her husband said on Saturday.

Al-Arabia – Iranian media have reported on Saturday the killing of Brigadier General Shahrokh Dayeepour, one of the Iranian field commanders in Syrian Aleppo.

Al-Arabia – Iranian officials occasionally boast about their meddling in the affairs of neighboring countries, but the most recent example of this was seen when the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Guard Corp, Brigadier General Hussein Salami, described the interference as an art practiced by the Islamic Republic in the region.

CHRI —In an open letter, prominent women of Iranian origin including Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, Oscar-nominated actress Shohreh Aghdashloo and legendary singer Googoosh have urged the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) to demand that Iran end its discriminatory ban on women in stadiums.

Al-Monitor – Last month, Iran’s education minister said he intends to create a two-week “winter holiday”before the new Iranian school year starts this fall. In exchange, students will start their academic year two weeks earlier. The goal is to create a new holiday period that could boost local tourism at a time of year when business is usually slow.

Bloomberg – The U.S. has asked Japan to completely halt oil imports from Iran, going beyond the reductions that were demanded when sanctions were imposed earlier this decade, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

PyavanNews – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering a state visit to Iran in July as Tokyo is seeking to strengthen economic ties with Tehran, government sources have said.

washingtonpost – When  ROUHANI ran for president of Iran in 2013, he campaigned on the promise of promoting human rights and individual freedoms in a country that retained a strong authoritarian bent. Five years after his election, it is becoming clear that Mr. Rouhani has failed to deliver on these promises. Last week’s arrest of prominent human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh is …

Radiofarda – German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on Europe to “urgently” take measures to counter Iran’s “aggressive” activities in the Middle East.