Social and Political

PayvandNews – A massive fire erupted on Thursday in a mega mall in downtown Tehran, the city’s most populous area, bringing the whole the 17-story building down. Thirty firefighters have lost their lives, according to IRIB. Death toll is expected to rise. More than 100 people are estimated to have been trapped under rubble. Plasko Shopping Center in Tehran engulfed in …

RFL/RE – There were conflicting reports of casualties after a high-rise building in downtown Tehran caught fire and collapsed. The Associated Press cited Iran’s Press TV as saying that 30 firefighters were killed, without giving a source. http://www.rferl.org/a/tehran-building-collapse-plasco-fire/28243130.html A fire brigade spokesman said that such reports were irresponsible as rescue efforts were still ongoing, but added that he feared some …

Al-Arabia – The United Nations Security Council needs to push Iran to abide by an arms embargo, outgoing US Ambassador Samantha Power said on Wednesday amid UN concerns that Tehran has supplied weapons and missiles to Hezbollah. Most UN sanctions were lifted a year ago under a deal Iran made with Britain, France, Germany, China, Russia, the United States and …

VOA  — A U.N. report says Iran has not received any unauthorized transfers of nuclear-related items since an international nuclear agreement was implemented a year ago, but Tehran may have violated some provisions on conventional arms transfers and travel restrictions. “The secretary-general has not received any report, nor is aware of any open source information, regarding the supply, sale or …

Al-monitor – For the first time in the history of the Islamic Republic, Turkic-speaking lawmakers have formed a bloc in the Iranian parliament. The Faction of Turkic Regions was formed in late October. It has been reported to have 100 members in the 290-seat parliament and is led by Masoud Pezeshkian, who represents the northwestern city of Tabriz and who served as minister of health …

Al-monitor – On Jan. 17, Iran’s moderate President Hassan Rouhani held a press conference on the one-year anniversary of the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). AUTHOR Rohollah Faghihi Rouhani addressed a range of issues, including the implementation of the nuclear deal, the country’s economic situation and the termination of sanctions. He also responded to questions about rumors that …

RFL/RE – Iran says it opposes the United States joining peace talks on Syria to be held in Kazakhstan next week. That goes against the position of the other two organizers of the talks, Russia and Turkey, which have said the new U.S. administration of Donald Trump should be represented at the Astana talks, which begin on January 23. “We …

RFL/RE – The United States and the UN have criticized Bahrain over the executions of three Shi’ite Muslim men who had been convicted of a deadly bomb attack on police. The UN Human Rights Commissioner’s office issued the harshest rebuke, saying on January 17 that it was “appalled” by the executions, carried out by firing squad on January 15 after …

VOA – Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday he would not consider renegotiating the Iran nuclear deal with the incoming Trump administration, which has repeatedly denounced the deal. Speaking at a news conference Tuesday on the first anniversary of the deal’s signing, Rouhani said there would be “no sense” in trying to renegotiate it now. “The nuclear deal is …

Al-monitor – Mahyaddin spent the final hours of 2016 in solitude, deciding whether to spare the life of a man on death row for killing his only son, Pouya. Five years ago, Pouya was knifed to death by 17-year-old Hemin Oraminejad in a brawl over petty issues in the western Iranian city of Sanandaj. The Supreme Court rejected Oraminejad’s appeal …