Social and Political

Al-Arabia – Iran has equipped its Revolutionary Guards’ navy with drones and 1,000-km (600-mile) range missiles, Iranian news agencies reported on Saturday, as the US offers to put guards on commercial ships going through the Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz. “Various types of drones … and several hundred cruise and ballistic missiles with a range of 300 to 1,000 km are among the …

RFL/RE – Members of a musical group in Iran that recently performed in front of the grave of a protester slain last year amid a brutal crackdown on antiestablishment demonstrations have issued public apologies after allegedly facing pressure from the country’s security forces. The performance by the musical group Sadat Niaki Tribe took place on July 28 in the northern …

VOA – A wildfire caused by hot weather briefly flared in grassland around Evin prison in north Tehran, detonating landmines in a security zone around the facility on Friday, Iran’s judiciary said. The judiciary’s Mizan news agency said the fire lasted only “a few minutes,” was “immediately brought under control,” and caused no damage to prison facilities. “The fire spread …

gatestoneinstitute.org – The Biden Administration also tried to deny that it had issued another waiver to Iraq to pay $500 million to the Iranian regime. According to a report by the Free Beacon, the waiver was issued “a day after Biden administration officials denied Iran’s claims that the United States had paved the way for Tehran to receive the $500 …

Al-Monitor – The US military is proposing to deploy Marines and Navy personnel on commercial tankers in the Persian Gulf to deter seizure attempts by Iran, Jared Szuba reports.  The policy is being pitched to the White House as a means to deter Iran and reassure regional partners who believe the US response to Iranian seizures of commercial vessels has been too restrained. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi invited UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to …

RFL/RE – Iran’s “RoboKids” amusement park, known as the country’s first robotic-themed attraction, was abruptly closed down on August 3 for failing to enforce mandatory hijab rules for some female visitors. The popular Tehran-based attraction, which operates two branches in the capital, was cited for infractions by the Public Places Authority, which led to the immediate closure of the Valiasr branch of …

Iranwire – Lawyer Babak Paknia confirmed on July 31 that a court has confirmed the death sentence against Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 27-year-old boxer arrested for taking part in nationwide unrest in November 2019. Paknia said that Branch 4 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court issued the death sentence in first instance, but the Supreme Court overturned the ruling and …

Iranwire – Authorities in Türkiye have deported an Iranian political activist who had been residing in the country without proper legal documentation. An informed source told IranWire that former political prisoner Shahryar Baratinya was taken from a camp in Dogubeyazit to the nearby Iranian border on August 3.  Iranian agents reportedly took custody of Baratinya at the border, prompting fears for …

Iranwire – The United States could soon offer to put armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz, as part of efforts to deter the Islamic Republic of Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels, news agencies quoted US officials as saying on August 3. The officials offered few details of the plan, which comes as …

VOA – Iran announced Thursday its readiness to help urgently complete and operationalize a long-delayed multibillion dollar pipeline to export natural gas to neighboring Pakistan. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian, on a three-day visit to Islamabad, made the remarks after delegation-level talks with his Pakistani counterpart, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. “We held important discussions on how we can find solutions …