Social and Political

VOA – Bolivia is interested in obtaining Iranian drone technology to protect its borders and combat smuggling and drug trafficking, the Andean country’s defense minister confirmed Tuesday, a day after Argentina demanded information on an agreement reached by Iran and Bolivia that has raised security concerns in the region. Edmundo Novillo dismissed those concerns, saying they were “exaggerated” and came …

Al-Monitor – The head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) overseeing all American forces in the Middle East, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, met Wednesday in Tel Aviv with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, just two days after the Knesset adopted controversial legislation called the “Reasonableness Clause” eroding the powers of the Supreme Court and triggering concerns in Israel over the readiness of …

RFL/RE – What should have been a time of celebration of a young couple’s life journey has become a time of remembrance of the death of the “Groom of Mahabad.” It was one year ago that Zaniar Abubakri and his fiancee announced their engagement in a ceremony before friends and family. Videos on social media show the lovestruck 20-year-old nervously …

RFL/RE – Gholamali Koveitipor, an Iranian singer known for his support of the Islamic government and whose military anthems were a significant part of the Islamic republic’s propaganda during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s, has released a song critical of the crackdown authorities have waged in the face of months of unrest. Released in tandem with the traditional mourning …

Al-Monitor – Iran topped the list of countries that imposed the highest number of internet restrictions in the first half of this year. Much of the disruption happens during protests, according to new data. According to figures from cyber security company Surfshark, Iran took the lead globally with 14 new restrictions, followed by India with nine and Pakistan with three. Protests were …

Al-Monitor – Iran’s Defense Ministry said it had mass-produced the country’s first long-range naval ballistic missile with a host of new combat features, designed to “completely destroy” enemy carriers, state media outlets reported on Tuesday.  “We have employed artificial intelligence within the software of the naval missile’s trajectory planning,” Defense Minister Brig. Gen. Mohammad-Reza Ashtiani announced at a televised ceremony …

Al-Arabia – Recently, Iran and Russia have been gradually strengthening their ties, forging a deeper strategic partnership that has implications not only for their bilateral relations but also for regional dynamics and international geopolitics. Several factors have contributed to the development of closer ties between the two nations. One significant factor is the shared interest in countering common adversaries and …

Iranwire – Iranian authorities have sentenced Kurdish civil activist Ayoub Javanpour to a total of 15 years in prison, according to the Kurdistan Human Rights Network. The Revolutionary Court in the western city of Saqqez on July 22 handed down a ten-year prison sentence for “leading a crowd of more than two people to disrupt security,” two years for “insulting the …

Iranwire – IranWire has obtained images from Tehran’s Shahrak Gharb neighborhood and Vanak Square showing a noticeable surge in the presence of Morality Police officers monitoring citizens’ clothing. The deployment of police comes amid heightened tension between the government and the Iranian population over the mandatory hijab rules, as the first anniversary of the September 16 death of Mahsa Amini in police custody draws …

CHRI – The forced psychiatric hospitalization of jailed rapper Saman Yasin in Iran shortly after he demanded due process and justice for his case highlights the Iranian government’s continued weaponization of medical treatment in order to suppress dissent, in flagrant violation of international and Iranian law. Yasin was also previously tortured to force him to confess to a crime, according …