Social and Political

Radiofarda – Azerbaijan’s state-run oil and gas company, Socar, signed a new 25-year production sharing contract (PSA) with British Petroleum on April 26 to explore and develop an oil and gas block in the Caspian Sea. Socar is also preparing to contract another offshore gas project with Norwegian Statoil next month.

Radiofarda – A war of hashtags has taken over social media following a Q&A session with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif at the Council on Foreign Relations on April 23.

Radiofarda – Three representatives of the International Labor Organization (ILO) have been allowed to meet an unknown number of independent Iranian labor activists in Tehran, reports say.

 Al Arabiya  – Audio and text messages obtained by the Washington Post have revealed a multi-million dollar sum allocated to Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, as part of a deal to release 25 members from its ruling family from Iraqi kidnappers last year.

VOA — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is using the Middle East leg of his first trip abroad as America’s top diplomat to call for concerted international action to punish Iran for its missile programs. He’s also urging Saudi Arabia and its neighbors to resolve a long-festering dispute with Qatar that U.S. officials say Iran is exploiting to boost its …

RFL/RE – An attempt by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to defend the hijab rule and downplay human rights violations in the country has not gone down well with some Iranians.

Radiofarda – Amid uncertainty about the future of the Iran nuclear deal, the deputy chief-commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has said Tehran should be clear that it will resume an “unlimited” nuclear program if the U.S. pulls out of the deal. Addressing a session attended by a group of judicial authorities, IRGC Brigadier General Hossein Salami said …

Radiofarda – Citing “an informed source,” reformist daily E’temad’s website reports that surveillance devices have been discovered at former President Mohammad Khatami’s office and home.

Radiofarda – Nearly one hundred indictments have been filed against those who were detained during the unprecedented uprising that broke out in December 28, 2017, says the head of Tehran’s Justice Department. A number of the detainees have been charged with “action against national security, Gholamhossein Esma’eili disclosed on Thursday, April 26. Furthermore, in his interview with judiciary’s website, Mizan, …

Iran-HRM – The U.S. House of Representatives held discussions on Tuesday, April 25 weighing a bipartisan bill seeking to impose new sanctions holding Iran accountable for human rights violations and kidnappings. This bill, presented by Rep. Michael McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security following the 2017/2018 Iran uprising, enjoys the support of 46 members from both sides …