Social and Political

RFLRE – The United States is sanctioning more than two dozen individuals and entities connected to Iran’s “violent suppression” of protests in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death last year in the custody of Iran’s morality police, the U.S. Treasury Department said on September 15.SEE ALSO:’Naked’ And Defiant: Diary Of An Iranian Protester The sanctions target 29 people and groups, including 18 …

Iranwire – Protests erupted in numerous Iranian cities yesterday evening as the nation prepared to mark the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in custody today. The 22-year-old had been arrested for allegedly not wearing the hijab in accordance with government standards. Eyewitnesses said she was severely beaten. In many districts of Tehran protesters chanted slogans such as “Death to …

Iranwire – Amid massive security presence, Mahsa Amini’s family visited her grave in the western Kurdish city of Saqqez on the eve of the one-year anniversary of the young woman’s death, IranWire has learned. Mahsa’s relatives went to Aichi cemetery on the evening of September 15, as helicopters were hovering over their heads and military personnel and police officers were …

Iranwire – Hundreds of anti-government protestors took to the streets of Zahedan on the eve of the first anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody, as the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the restive southeastern city hailed the “awakening” of the Iranian people. “Today, Iranians from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and religious affiliations stand united” in their quest for fundamental …

VOA – The U.S. hopes that with the transfer of blocked Iranian funds from banks in South Korea to Qatar completed, the five Iranian Americans held in the Islamic Republic will be home “in the coming days.” In an interview with VOA Persian’s Farhad Pouladi, John Kirby, the National Security Council’s coordinator for strategic communications, also spoke about U.S. support …

Al-Monitor — A year after the start of protests in Iran, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, the US Congress has become more emboldened in its opposition to the Islamic Republic. While Republicans and Democrats in Congress are divided on some aspects of Iran policy, particularly in regard to several recent actions by President Joe Biden’s administration, recent legislative activity, …

iranintl – As the March parliamentary elections in Iran approach, many politicians protest political “purification” efforts by ultraconservatives aimed at monopolizing power.  Even some conservative figures previously branded as hardliners, including Expediency Council member Mohammad Javad Bahonar, expressed concern about the aggressive purging efforts by ultraconservatives, not only within the government but also in academic institutions. Reformist cleric Hossein Ansari …

iranintl – Iranian-American dissident Masih Alinejad says the Biden administration advised her to change her identity and disappear, in light of threats on her life by the Islamic Republic. Appearing in a US House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Thursday, Alinejad revealed that she was offered witness protection, typically offered to people “whose lives are in danger as a result …

iranintl – US lawmakers convened Wednesday to examine the Biden administration’s secrecy and “failures” on Iran, calling it a “dangerous” strategy.  The Subcommittee on National Security, the Border, and Foreign Affairs – part of the House Oversight Committee – held the hearing to discuss Washington’s secret dealings with the regime, including Tehran’s nuclear program and negotiations for the release of American hostages in exchange for …

Iranwire – Tension is rising in cities and towns across Iran, as the nation prepares to mark the September 16 anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in police custody. A group of Tehran residents who visited Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery on September 14 noticed a significant presence of security personnel. “When we arrived at plot 211, where [protester] Hamidreza Rouhi is buried, we …