Social and Political

Al-Monitor – Iran strongly criticized this week the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) over two statements by the Arab body that underlined lingering disputes between the Islamic Republic and its rivals in the region.   At a ministerial meeting in Cairo this week, the first GCC statement — also endorsed by the Japanese government — defended the UAE’s claim to the three Gulf …

Al-Monitor — The US Justice Department revealed Friday that it disrupted a multimillion-dollar shipment of crude oil being smuggled to China in violation of US sanctions on Iran.  The case involving the Suez Rajan, which federal authorities confiscated in April and redirected toward the United States, came amid wider tensions with Iran over its nuclear program and detention of American citizens.  The …

Al-Arabia – Daniel Abed Khalife, a former British soldier suspected of terrorism offences who escaped from prison on Wednesday, had been accused of attempting to gather information for Iran, the BBC reported on Thursday. Khalife fled from Wandsworth prison in south London on Wednesday morning, probably by clinging to the bottom of a delivery van. His disappearance triggered a major …

iranintl – A video of UK’s Ambassador to Tehran Simon Shercliff talking about Iran has sparked a social media buzz with Iranians wishing they were enjoying the country as he does. The British Embassy in Iran stirred social media discussions earlier this week when it shared a video interview with the British envoy in which he engaged in a casual and …

Al-Monitor – A Greek shipping company has admitted that one of the vessels it manages violated US sanctions on Iran earlier this year by exporting oil from the Persian Gulf state. The United States fined Empire Navigation Inc. $2.4 billion for the breach, it was revealed on Thursday. The company and the United States agreed to keep the violation secret for almost …

iranintl – While Iranian conservatives aim to sideline reformists in the March 2024 parliamentary elections, there is a lack of consensus among them on many political issues. The upcoming election, following a year of dissent and unrest, has left most voters indifferent, disheartened by disillusionment. There’s a lack of clarity even among conservatives and hardliners about the number of seats …

iranintl – Calls to shut down an Iran-linked mosque are growing among Iranians in Finland after the Islamic center admitted that one of its imams snatched a protester’s cellphone.  Parvin Shokri, an Iranian protest organizer based in Helsinki, was returning from an anti-regime demonstration on April 24, when her cellphone was seized by a stranger in the street. She was …

Iranwire – A video shared on social media on August 21 showed many residents of Ekbatan town in the southwestern Iranian city of Ahvaz protesting the failure of municipal authorities to provide essential amenities.  Ekbatan town is located in the city’s District 4, known as Golestan, along the banks of Karun River.  After more than a decade of development, the …

VOA – A Greek shipping company has pleaded guilty to smuggling sanctioned Iranian crude oil and agreed to pay a $2.4 million fine, newly unsealed U.S. court documents seen Thursday by The Associated Press show. The now-public case against Empire Navigation, which faces three years of probation under the plea agreement, marks the first public acknowledgement by U.S. prosecutors that …

Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) – Mahboubeh Roshandel, a 27-year-old woman sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder, was executed in Mashhad Central Prison. According to HRANA news agency, a woman was executed in Mashhad Central Prison (Vakil Abad) on 4 September. Her identity has been established as 27-year-old Mahboubeh Roshandel who was sentenced to qisas (retribution-in-kind) for murder. Mahboubeh was a mother to …